Food Marketing Authorization

Marketing Authorization of Novel Foods

If a given food product is determined to qualify as a "novel food," it must undergo a safety assessment in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 258/97. Authorization may be requested by the manufacturer or distributor of the given food or food ingredient from the competent Brussels committee, via the competent authority of the country in which the product is to be first placed on the market.

The applicant must submit a substantial body of information to the authority to demonstrate the safety of the substance in question. Commission Recommendation 97/618/EC specifies precisely which data and information, and in what format, must be included in the documentation submitted by the applicant.

Under certain conditions, marketing authorization for a novel food may also be achieved via a simplified procedure—termed "notification" under Regulation (EC) No 258/97—if the food or food ingredient to be marketed can be demonstrated to be substantially equivalent to another existing, legally marketed or authorized product.

Notification of Food Chain Safety Activity

For food categories specified under Government Decree 210/2009 (IX. 29.), a food business operator holding a FELIR identification number may lawfully distribute food and engage in catering activities after submitting notification to the locally competent notary.

Food chain supervisory authorities may conduct risk-based inspections of establishments at any time, without prior notice.