A decision by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) clears the way for Blis Technologies' Blis M18 probiotic to be used in food.
The Dunedin biotechnology company has welcomed the finding by the FSANZ that the probiotic was not considered to be a novel food, either in Australia or New Zealand.
That enabled Blis M18 to be used directly in food applications such as yoghurt and beverages in Australia and New Zealand, bypassing the demanding and formal ''novel foods'' application.
A novel food was a non-traditional food with no sufficient history of safe use. Novel food ingredients could be sold in Australia and New Zealand but only after undergoing a rigorous risk and safety assessment by
FSANZ researchers and food scientists. Blis M18 was an oral cavity probiotic and, like its partner product Blis K12, had an ''exceptional'' safety record, Blis Technologies chief executive Dr Barry Richardson said.
The FSANZ's decision would now enable the company to discuss the application of both probiotics with food manufacturers wanting to help with their consumers' oral health and fight tooth decay in children, he said.
