Led by Reading Scientific Services Ltd (RSSL), NFX UK is a network of startups, regulators, academia and service providers, that has been offering support to innovators preparing Novel Foods dossiers in the UK since its launched in September 2025.
Marking the beginning of a broader international expansion strategy, the investment from Coefficient Giving will enable NFX UK to deepen its domestic impact while expanding into the EU.
“This investment allows us to scale what we have built and strengthen our role in accelerating faster, higher-quality and more responsible regulatory approvals in the UK, across Europe and, ultimately, worldwide,” said Jacinta George, managing director and VP at RSSL.
Long waits and rising costs
According to a recent analysis of the European Union’s novel food framework almost 300 novel food applications were submitted between 2018 and 2024 and authorizations took an average of 937 days (around 2.6 years) to reach a European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) opinion, potentially deterring investment in European.
According to NFX UK’s industry survey, 87% of innovators said they faced challenges with preparing NF dossiers in 2024, with three systematic failures uncovered: Gaps in regulatory understanding and inconsistent dossier quality; inefficiency and difficulty in finding specialized expertise; and communication barriers with regulators.
George said the novel food authorization process is resource-intensive and this, plus the data requirements, can be particularly daunting for smaller companies without in-house regulatory teams and the relevant scientific equipment.
“The ambition to innovate remains strong” she said. “However, it is the uncertainty and cost associated with the process that affect their ability to plan effectively, secure funding, or present a compelling case to investors.”
She said where regulatory pathways are clearer or faster, companies are choosing to seek approval there first.
“The risk for Europe is that it becomes a secondary market rather than a launch market for food innovation,” she added.
George said the NFX UK network is addressing the problem at its root.
“The leading factor behind delays and additional information requests is the quality of dossiers submitted,” she told NI. “Incomplete safety data, gaps in toxicological characterization, or poorly structured risk assessments can add years to an application through multiple rounds of questions from assessors.”
NFX UK aims to tackle this by providing innovators with access to resources and guidance to be able to build robust, submission-ready dossiers from day one, she said.
“We are confident that by equipping innovators with the right information, and by facilitating meaningful connections with service providers and experts, we are enabling them to build stronger dossiers that are better prepared to withstand regulatory scrutiny,” said George.
Ethical innovations
Discussing what trends she has observed in the types of novel foods applications made in the last 11 months, George said there has been “considerable momentum” in applications across the board, but sustainable alternatives is a key category.
“Sustainability is one of the main drivers of novel food innovations, with many developing ingredients that offer lower environmental footprints or support more ethical sourcing.
“Precision fermentation, such as proteins, functional carbohydrates, and vitamins, and cell-cultivated technologies remain highly active areas, but we’re also seeing growing interest in novel botanicals and bioactive compounds from underexplored sources, such as seaweed, microalgae, and fungal.”
Looking at what has been authorized in recent years in Great Britain, she said the majority have been human-identical milk oligosaccharides, algal-derived products, and new forms of supplements.
