AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
A novel food is one not used for human consumption to a significant degree in the UK or EU before 15 May 1997, and it must be authorised before it can be sold in Great Britain. For a Nigerian food that is new to the UK market, the FSA's traditional food route applies where the food has been eaten outside the UK or EU for at least 25 continuous years; the FSA reviews a notification within four months and charges no application fee.
Many Nigerian staples have long been sold in UK shops, and for them the question rarely arises. The novel food question arises with products that have not: a newly marketed leaf, seed, extract or processed form, or a familiar plant sold in a new way. The rule is product-specific and the burden sits with the business selling it.
What counts as novel
The FSA's novel foods authorisation guidance describes novel foods as foods "not used for human consumption to a significant degree" in the UK or EU before 15 May 1997. It includes three broad groups:
- new foods, never eaten before;
- traditional foods eaten elsewhere in the world but not in the UK or EU before that date;
- foods produced by new processes.
The guidance applies to Great Britain. Northern Ireland follows separate EU-based rules.
How to check a product
- Search the GB Register of Novel Foods Authorisations and the outcomes of earlier status consultations.
- Check the EU Novel Food Status Catalogue. It is a guide only; the FSA says it is "not exhaustive", so absence does not prove a food is not novel.
- Gather evidence of use in the UK or EU before 15 May 1997: old import records, shop catalogues, recipe books, trade invoices.
- If still unsure, ask the FSA for legal verification through the Article 4 consultation, submitted on the regulated products application portal.
Evidence of community use matters. A food sold for years in African grocery shops in London may have a documented pre-1997 history; collecting that proof is often the quickest way to settle the question.
Routes to authorisation
| Route | When it fits | What the guidance says |
|---|---|---|
| Article 14 traditional food notification | Food eaten outside the UK or EU for at least 25 continuous years | FSA reviews within four months; if no safety objections, authorised and added to the list |
| Article 16 application | Safety objections raised on a traditional food notification | Further information required |
| Article 10 full application | New foods, new processes, or no traditional history | Full safety dossier; no timescale stated on the page |
The guidance says there is no fee for the application. It does not set out who may apply, so importers, producers and trade associations should read the application requirements carefully, and may decide jointly who leads.
Nigerian products that need a closer look
This library does not label any specific Nigerian food as novel; that is for the FSA. These are the situations where operators should check:
- leaves, barks or seeds traditionally used in Nigeria but rarely sold in Europe before 1997;
- concentrated extracts, powders or capsules made from a traditional food, such as bitter kola or hibiscus extracts (see kola and bitter kola and zobo hibiscus);
- fermented products made with a new process;
- foods marketed as supplements rather than ingredients.
What happens if you sell before authorisation
Novel foods need authorisation before they are placed on the market in GB. Tasting trials of unauthorised novel foods may be allowed for research, but not for publicity. Stock of an unauthorised novel food is stock you cannot lawfully sell, so the check belongs before the purchase order, not after. Pair this check with the usual rules on labelling and registration.
Novel food status is only one check
Settling novel food status does not replace the other duties of a food importer. Every importer must still register as a food business with the local council at least 28 days before trading, including businesses that only broker or distribute from an office, and must label prepacked food for GB. The border rules for the product, plant health or animal product, apply separately. Treat novel food as the first question for anything unfamiliar, because if the answer is that authorisation is needed, the other steps can wait until it is granted.
Keep a file for each product: the evidence you gathered, the catalogue entries you checked with dates, any FSA correspondence, and the final position you took. If a trading standards officer asks later, that file is your answer.
Where Pryme fits
Applications and authorisation do not involve payments, but the trade that follows does. A Pryme Business Account holds GBP and NGN with local details, so a UK importer can pay a Nigerian supplier in naira without a chain of agents; the app shows the rate and the fee before you approve. Outside Nigeria, Pryme's activities are carried out through regulated partners.
Questions people ask
What is a novel food in the UK?
A food not used for human consumption to a significant degree in the UK or EU before 15 May 1997. It must be authorised before it can be sold in Great Britain.
Is there a fee to apply for novel food authorisation?
The FSA guidance says there is no fee for the application.
How long does the traditional food route take?
The FSA reviews a traditional food notification within four months. If there are no safety objections, the food is authorised.
How do I prove a Nigerian food is not novel?
Collect evidence of significant consumption in the UK or EU before 15 May 1997, and if in doubt ask the FSA through the Article 4 consultation.
Sources
- FSA on GOV.UK: Novel foods authorisation guidance · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Food business registration (updated 25 Jun 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Food labelling, giving food information to consumers (updated 20 Sep 2022) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.