The UK’s Novel Foods regulations — retained from the EU — are restricting or banning thousands of traditional natural products. This includes medicinal mushrooms like Turkey Tail, Cordyceps and Reishi, traditional herbs, and unpasteurised fermented drinks and foods.

These ingredients have been safely used for centuries in Chinese medicine and traditional systems worldwide, with no concrete evidence of harm. Yet because they were not commonly consumed in the UK or EU before 1997, they face heavy restrictions and impossible red tape.

While food safety is important, the current rules stifle innovation, limit consumer choice, and push people toward pharmaceutical alternatives. In contrast, the United States is moving in the opposite direction by expanding access to natural foods.

We call on the UK Government to reform these Novel Foods regulations and create a clear exemption for all traditional herbs, mushrooms, botanicals, and fermented foods with a documented history of safe global use. Safety decisions should be based on real-world evidence and centuries of traditional use — not an arbitrary 1997 cut-off date.

Sign this petition to protect access to natural health products and support a more balanced regulatory framework in the UK.