Moringa oleifera leaves

Question

1. In December 2025, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) rejected Application A1294, which sought to approve Moringa oleifera leaves (fresh/dried), immature seed pods, and seed oil as a novel food. Prior to the application being determined, Moringa was unregulated as a food. Please clarify the reasons for the refusal of A1294? 2. The TGA has approved Moringa powder as a listed complementary product. There are zero adverse events noted on the Database of Adverse Events. There are no records of a medical episode around Moringa in Australia. Did you take the proven safety record into account when making your decision? 3. Can a person still grow or import seed and grow it themselves? 4. Moringa is an important element in the ancient Indian practice of Ayurveda - basically celebrating life through health and nutrition. Thousands of years old custom. Was Ayurveda considered in your deliberations - did you reach out to the Australasian Association of Ayurveda or the Australasian Ayurvedic Practitioners Association to ask them what they thought of this refusal?

Answer

Please see attached answer.

Documents

• Question with answer (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
• FSANZ SQ26-002834.pdf (opens in a new tab)