Coffea arabica L. and/or Coffea canephora Pierre ex A.Froehner dried cherry pulp and its infusion (Traditional food from a third country): authorised novel food in the EU

Conditions of use and maximum levels

Table 1, column "Conditions under which the novel food may be used", as written:

• Coffee cherry pulp from Coffea arabica L. and/or Coffea canephora Pierre ex A.Froehner for the preparation of infusions
• Coffee, coffee and chicory extracts, instant coffee, tea, herbal- and fruit-infusions, coffee substitutes, coffee mixes and instant mixes for hot beverages (and their flavoured counterparts).
• Flavoured and unflavoured non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages

Additional specific labelling requirements

The designation of the novel food on the labelling of the foodstuffs containing it shall be ‘coffee cherry pulp’ and/or ‘cascara (coffee cherry pulp)’, and/or ‘coffee cherry pulp infusion’ and/or ‘coffee cherry pulp dried infusion’. If the product containing the novel food contains more than 150 mg/l of caffeine (as such or after reconstitution), it shall be labelled with the following indication: ‘High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women’ in the same field of vision as the name of the food, followed by the caffeine content expressed in mg per 100 ml. Typical infusion preparations are prepared with up to 6 g of coffee cherry pulp per 100 ml of hot water (> 75 °C). For the coffee cherry pulp placed on the market as such for the preparation of infusions, instructions shall be given to the consumer on the preparation.

Specification (Table 2)

Table 2 of the Annex, row with the same name, as written:

Description/Definition:

The traditional food consists of the dried unroasted coffee cherry pulp of Coffea arabica L. and/or Coffea canephora Pierre ex A.Froehner (genus: Coffea family: Rubiaceae) and its infusion. The infusion can be used as such or concentrated or dried.

Ripe coffee cherries are collected, and then the coffee beans are mechanically removed, prior or after a drying process, leaving the dried coffee cherry pulp, which can be milled to a powder.

The separated coffee cherry pulp is also known as ‘cascara’, from the Spanish ‘cáscara’, meaning ‘husk’.

Typically, the infusion is prepared by mixing up to 6 g of cascara pulp or husk in 100 ml of hot water (> 75 °C) for a few minutes and then pouring through a strainer, or using corresponding amounts in dried or instant infusions.

Composition of the dried coffee cherry pulp:

Water: < 18 %

Water activity (aw): ≤ 0,65

Ash: < 10,4 % DM

Protein: < 15 % DM

Fat: < 5 % DM

Carbohydrates: < 85 % DM

Microbiological criteria:

Aerobic Plate Count: < 104 CFU/g

Total yeasts and moulds: < 100 CFU/g

Enterobacteriaceae: < 50 CFU/g

Salmonella: Absence in 25 g

Bacillus cereus: < 100 CFU/g

Mycotoxins:

Ochratoxin A: < 5,0 μg/kg

Aflatoxin B1: < 2,0 μg/kg

Aflatoxin B1, B2, G1, G2 (as sum): < 4,0 μg/kg

Heavy metals:

Cadmium (Cd): < 0,05 mg/kg

Lead (Pb): < 1,0 mg/kg

Copper: ≤ 50 mg/kg

Mercury: ≤ 0,02 mg/kg

Arsenic: ≤ 0,2 mg/kg

Impurities:

Benzo(a)pyrene: < 10,0 μg/kg

Sum of benzo(a)pyrene, benz(a)anthracene, benzo(b)fluoranthene and chrysene: < 50,0 μg/kg

Pesticides:

Pesticide levels in the traditional food shall comply with levels set by Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 for ‘0639000’ for ‘Herbal infusions from any other parts of the plant’.

CFU: Colony Forming Units

DM: Dry Matter

Source and version

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470, Annex, Union list of novel foods, Table 1. Consolidated text of 10 August 2026. The text above is copied from that document without change except that amendment markers are removed. It is not advice and it does not decide whether a particular product is covered.

• Consolidated text on EUR-Lex

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