Within the European Union, microbial food cultures are regarded as food ingredients and are regulated by Regulation 178/2002, commonly referred to as the General Food Law.
Since 2007, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has been maintaining a list of microorganisms having qualified presumption of safety (QPS). The QPS list covers only a limited number of microorganisms, which have been referred to EFSA for safety assessment. It has been conceived as an internal evaluation tool for microorganisms used in the food production chain (e.g. feed cultures, cell factories producing enzymes or additives, plant protection) that need an evaluation by EFSA scientific panels before being marketed in the EU. Microbial food cultures with a long history of safe use are, however, considered to be traditional food ingredients and are legally permitted for use in human food without EFSA evaluation.