(1)

On 23 September 2009 the company Biothera Incorporated made a request to the competent authority of Ireland to place yeast beta-glucans on the market as a novel food ingredient for use in a variety of foods, including beverages, for the general population as well as in food supplements and in foods for particular nutritional uses with the exception of infant formulae and follow-on formulae.

(2)

On 23 December 2009 the competent food assessment body of Ireland issued its initial assessment report. In that report it came to the conclusion that yeast beta-glucans were acceptable as a novel food ingredient provided that the product specifications and intended use levels are maintained and that the range of foodstuffs is limited to those presented in the application dossier.

(3)

The Commission forwarded the initial assessment report to all Member States on 18 January 2010.

(4)

Within the 60-day period laid down in Article 6(4) of Regulation (EC) No 258/97 reasoned objections to the marketing of the product were raised in accordance with that provision.

(5)

Therefore, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was consulted on 2 July 2010.

(6)

On 8 April 2011, EFSA in the ‘Scientific Opinion on the safety of “Yeast beta-glucans” as a novel food ingredient’ (2) came to the conclusion that yeast beta-glucans were safe under the proposed conditions of use. EFSA opinion did not address in its opinion the safety for children below 1½ years.

(7)

On the basis of the EFSA scientific assessment and taking into account Directive 2002/46/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 June 2002 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to food supplements (3), Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on the addition of vitamins and minerals and of certain other substances to foods (4), Directive 2009/39/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 May 2009 on foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses (5), Commission Directive 1999/21/EC of 25 March 1999 on dietary foods for special medical purposes (6), Commission Directive 2006/125/EC of 5 December 2006 on processed cereal-based foods and baby foods for infants and young children (7), it is established that yeast beta-glucans comply with the criteria laid down in Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 258/97.

(8)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,