Overview of Legislation Across the Globe, Diagnostics and Standards Which Provide a Legal and Regulatory Framework in Which NTP Is Used Worldwide

Abstract

The globalization of food supply, the consumers’ demand for more convenient, fresh-like food and rapid development in food science and technology, have resulted in a need to develop and apply non-thermal processing (NTP) technologies, and consequently to introduce foods not previously available at the global market. NTP technologies are effective at ambient and sub-lethal temperatures, and include irradiation, high-pressure processing, pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, pulsed light, ultraviolet light, etc. Their application may result in unintended changes in the composition and nutritional value of foods and these changes have to be evaluated mainly for their safety, before NTP treated foods get the approval for the placement on the market. The legal requirements for the initial approval of food processed with some NTPs have been defined in most developed countries of the world, such as the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. For some NTPs, such as irradiation, special legislation covering its usage and labelling requirements has been adopted. On the other side, scientific verifications paved the way for many countries to agree that high-pressure processing should no longer be classified as a novel process and it can be safely applied without initial approval. Currently, the legislation is considered as a critical factor for the wider application of NTP technologies in food industry, as it can either facilitate or limit its usage.