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. 2015 Nov 13;13(11):4299. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4299

Statement on the safety of lacto‐N‐neotetraose and 2′‐O‐fucosyllactose as novel food ingredients in food supplements for children

EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA)
PMCID: PMC13189513  PMID: 42169856

Abstract

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to provide a scientific opinion on the safety of lacto‐N‐neotetraose and 2ˈ‐O‐fucosyllactose as novel food ingredients in food supplements for children (excluding infants). In July 2015, the Panel concluded that LNnT and 2’‐FL are safe for infants and for young children when added to infant, follow‐on and young‐child formulae under specific conditions of use; and for adults when added to foods at the uses and use levels proposed by the applicant, which include food supplements at a maximum intended daily intake of 1.5 g for LNnT and 3 g for 2’‐FL. The applicant also intends to include LNnT and 2’‐FL in food supplements for children, with maximum daily intake levels of 0.6 g for LNnT and 1.2 g for 2’‐FL for toddlers (1–3 years of age), and maximum daily intake levels of 1.5 g for LNnT and 3 g for 2’‐FL for children (4–18 years of age). In this scientific assessment, maximum daily intakes from food supplements for toddlers, children and teenagers are presented and two scenarios are calculated in which the maximum daily intakes from food supplements are added to the mean and 95th percentile intake estimates from all foods in which LNnT and 2’‐FL are intended to be added. The Panel concludes that LNnT and 2’‐FL are safe for the proposed use in food supplements at the maximum use levels proposed for toddlers (1–3 years of age) of 0.6 g/day for LNnT and 1.2 g/day for 2’‐FL (alone or in combination) and for children (4–18 years of age) of 1.5 g for LNnT and 3 g for 2’‐FL (alone or in combination). However, in children of 1–10 years of age the combined intakes from all foods in which the NFIs are intended to be added and from food supplements could result in intake levels which were reported to cause mild gastrointestinal symptoms in adults.

Keywords: lacto‐N‐neotetraose, 2ˈ‐O‐fucosyllactose, food supplements, novel foods

EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies , 2015. Statement on the safety of lacto‐N‐neotetraose and 2′‐O‐fucosyllactose as novel food ingredients in food supplements for children. EFSA Journal 2015;13(11):4299, 11 pp. doi: 10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4299

Panel members: Jean Louis Bresson, Barbara Burlingame, Tara Dean, Susan Fairweather‐Tait, Marina Heinonen, Karen Ildico Hirsch‐Ernst, Inge Mangelsdorf, Harry McArdle, Androniki Naska, Monika Neuhäuser‐Berthold, Grażyna Nowicka, Kristina Pentieva, Yolanda Sanz, Alfonso Siani, Anders Sjödin, Martin Stern, Daniel Tomé, Dominique Turck, Hendrik Van Loveren, Marco Vinceti and Peter Willatts.

Correspondence: nda@efsa.europa.eu

Acknowledgement: The Panel wishes to thank the members of the Working Group on Novel Foods: Tara Dean, Karl‐Heinz Engel, Marina Heinonen, Inge Mangelsdorf, Rosangela Marchelli, Harry McArdle, Monika Neuhäuser‐Berthold, Annette Pöting, Morten Poulsen, Yolanda Sanz, Josef Schlatter and Hendrik van Loveren for the support provided to this scientific output.

Adoption date: 28 October 2015

Published date: 13 November 2015

Question number: EFSA‐Q‐2015‐00594, EFSA‐Q‐2015‐00595

References

  1. EFSA NDA Panel (EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies) , 2015. a. Scientific opinion on the safety of lacto‐N‐neotetraose as a novel food ingredient pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 258/97. EFSA Journal 2015;13 (7): 4183, 32 pp. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4183 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. EFSA NDA Panel (EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies) , 2015. b. Scientific opinion on the safety of 2'‐O‐fucosyllactose as a novel food ingredient pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 258/97. EFSA Journal 2015;13 (7): 4184, 32 pp. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4184 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
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