E-Submission Food Chain (ESFC)

The E-Submission Food Chain (ESFC) is the European Commission's digital platform used to submit applications for novel food authorisation, traditional food notifications, and requests for pre-submission advice. All novel food applications under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 must be submitted through this platform.

The ESFC provides a structured template that mirrors EFSA's assessment framework. For novel food applications, the template contains 20 sections covering administrative information, the ten mandatory scientific assessment sections, and supporting documentation. For traditional food notifications, a separate 10-section template is used.

After submission through the ESFC, the European Commission performs an initial validity check. If the application is deemed valid, EFSA begins its risk assessment. Non-confidential parts of the dossier are published on the OpenEFSA portal after validation.

According to the ESFC User Guide, approximately 90% of ESFC users are regulatory consultants submitting on behalf of applicants rather than the applicants themselves.