Safety Assessment : Outcome of Assessment on an Application Under the Novel Foods Regulation 2015/2283 as Retained in UK Law for Barley Rice Protein

An application was submitted to the Food Standards Agency in January 2021 from Evergrain, LLC, USA (“the applicant”) for the authorisation of Barley Rice Protein, a mixture of protein from barley at levels of 30-70% and rice at levels of 70-30%. The applicant intends to market the product within food categories including: bakery products, breakfast cereals, spreadable fats and dressings, grain products and pastas, snack foods, jam, marmalade and other fruit spreads, candy/confectionery, dairy and dairy imitates, dessert sauces and syrups, meat imitates, soups and soup mixes, savoury sauces, legume-based spreads, nut-based spreads, energy drinks, foods and beverages intended for sportspersons and meal replacements for weight control. To support the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standard Scotland (FSS) in evaluating the dossier, the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes (ACNFP) was asked to review the dossier. The Committee concluded that Barley Rice Protein is safe under the proposed conditions of use, based on the composition and the anticipated intake. The Committee considered that the proposed uses were not nutritionally disadvantageous if used alone or in combination with other plant sources of protein. However, the Committee expressed concern that it may be nutritionally disadvantageous if used as a meat or dairy protein substitute in products marketed as meal replacements for weight control. The views of the ACNFP have been taken into account in the regulatory assessment which represents the opinion of the FSA and FSS.