On 6 October 2026 the latest-updates table of the Novel Food status Catalogue showed a modification date on eight entries. The catalogue is an orientation tool in the Food and Feed Information Portal. It is not an Official Journal act and it does not replace the Union list in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470. The date is still official, and the statuses are not the same.
For a supplement operator the entry that matters is Inonotus obliquus (Fr.) Pilát, chaga. The portal gives it “Not novel in food supplements”. That is narrower than Ganoderma lucidum and Hericium erinaceus, which on the same day read “Not novel in food”. One phrase decides whether ordinary food can even be discussed, or only a food supplement under Directive 2002/46/EC.
Eight entries dated 6 October 2026
| Portal entry | Status on 06/10/2026 | What it does not say |
|---|---|---|
| Dioscorea alata L. | Not novel in food | Not a status for an alkaloid extract or a new plant part. |
| Ganoderma lucidum (Fr.) P. Karst | Not novel in food | Not a status for an isolated triterpene or grain-grown mycelium. |
| Hericium erinaceus (Bull.) Pers. | Not novel in food | Not a status for isolated erinacine as an ingredient. |
| Inonotus obliquus (Fr.) Pilát | Not novel in food supplements | Not a clearance for ordinary food. Not a status for a differently profiled extract. |
| Ipomoea batatas (L.) Poir | Not novel in food | Sweet potato as such is not novel. A new process or isolate is a separate Article 4 question. |
| Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler | Authorised novel food | “Authorised” points to a listed form, not every shiitake fruiting body. Open the entry conditions. |
| Oil from Ulkenia sp. | Authorised novel food | The listed oil, under the act. Not any oil from that microalga. |
| Oils from Schizochytrium sp. and strains of S. limacinum | Authorised novel food | The already authorised oils. DHA and EPA ethyl esters from Schizochytrium were still “not yet authorised” on 29 July 2026. |
Eight modification dates are not eight new authorisations. Four entries are “not novel”, chaga is limited to supplements, and three point to a form already authorised. Copying the label onto a specification confuses the catalogue with the list.
Earlier status consultations, including the Commission file on request 2006-8614745, already described the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum, Lentinula edodes and Hericium erinaceus as consumed to a significant degree before 15 May 1997, and the fruiting body of Inonotus obliquus as so consumed only in food supplements. The 6 October 2026 update keeps that distinction on the portal. It adds no dose, no contaminant limit and no claim category.
Glossary
- Novel food status catalogue
- The Commission table in the Food and Feed Information Portal. It is non-binding and non-exhaustive. It does not replace Article 4 of Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 or the 2017/2470 list.
- Not novel in food supplements
- The status the portal gave Inonotus obliquus on 6 October 2026. A history of use in supplements, not in ordinary food. Not an authorisation of every chaga form.
- Authorised novel food
- A portal label for a form that has a Union-list entry. Conditions, including uses and labelling, sit in the act amending 2017/2470, not in the catalogue date.
What to do with the update
- Open the Inonotus obliquus card and keep the 6 October 2026 status: not novel in food supplements. Do not carry that sentence to a tea, a bar or ordinary food.
- Match the specification to the fruiting body or sclerotium. An extract, an isolate and substrate mycelium are a different material. If in doubt, use the Article 4 consultation.
- Do not read “authorised” on Lentinula edodes, Ulkenia oil or Schizochytrium oils as a clearance for every batch. Read the 2017/2470 conditions.
- Leave health claims outside this catalogue. No novel-food status does not open a Regulation 1924/2006 statement. C.L.A.I.M.S. searches 2318 claims (2078 on-hold SANCO/11074/2013 and 240 from Regulation 432/2012) and is not a Commission register.
- Do not file a national notification as if the portal date closed the novel-food question. A notification does not cure a missing history of use or a missing list entry.
Sources
European Commission, Food and Feed Information Portal, Latest updates to the Novel Food status Catalogue, modification date 06/10/2026 on eight entries, including Inonotus obliquus (Fr.) Pilát — Not novel in food supplements. Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, Article 4. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470. Directive 2002/46/EC.
This note is not legal advice in an individual case. Supplemental.pl is the law practice; FOODLAW.ai is the tool layer; C.L.A.I.M.S. searches 2318 claims and is not a Commission register.