THE PROJECT CHALLENGE

Camel milk is a “superfood” traditionally used for its medicinal value in rural regions, rich in bioactive and antimicrobial substances and suitable for those with dairy allergies. Despite growing demand, the camel milk sector faced a major hurdle: non-EU production systems in Algeria and Turkiye did not meet EU safety standards, and the milk lacked the necessary legal authorization to be traded as a food product within the EU.

OUR CONTRIBUTION

As lead for WP5 (Regulatory Issues and Legislation), WIISE provided the legal framework required for this innovation acted. We integrated R&D with specialized legal-regulatory services to build a bridge between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

Our team spearheaded the search for historical evidence of camel milk consumption in the EU or one of its Member States prior to May 15^th, 1997. When significant evidence was unavailable, we identified the need to apply the consultation process to the Member State where the product is intended to be marketed. The national authority shall decide whether ‘camel milk’ is a novel food or not. In case of a confirmation, the Novel Food approval process need to be activated. By leveraging the simplified procedure under Reg. (EU) 2015/2283 for traditional products from non-EU countries, we created a viable path for market entry that saved the partners time and resources.

The review of scientific literature related to camel milk’s nutritional value and existence of contribution for human health permitted to suggest potential nutrition and health claims to be indicated in the labelling as voluntary indication, in compliance with EU regulatory requirements from Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Nutrition claims application is linked with the nutritional content as indicated in the nutrition labelling, while health claims need a scientific assessment from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the authorisation by the European Commission.

THE OUTCOME

Through WIISE intervention, the project successfully established the basis for short-term exportation to the EU from Turkiye, and export requirements from Algeria. This work didn’t just support the project; it empowered Mediterranean smallholders to occupy a high-potential market niche, ensuring that sustainable food systems could cross borders legally and safely.

WHY PARTNER WITH WIISE?

Our successful management of the legal complexities in a multi-country project like CAMELMILK proves we are the ideal partner for international consortia requiring:

• Regulatory Mastery: Proven success in navigating Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 for traditional products and official controls requirements for import from Third Countries, demonstrating experience in cross-border regulatory alignment.
• Sector-Specific Outreach: Direct access to industry-specific dissemination platforms (e.g., Food Times).
• Bridge-Building: Expert mediation between academic research, industrial needs, and institutional requirements.

CONTACT US

PROJECT CORE IDENTIFICATION

Boost the production, transformation and consumption of camel milk in the Mediterranean basin

The camel milk sector represents a high-potential market niche in the Mediterranean area, moving from traditional medicinal use in rural regions to a growing demand among urban populations due to its unique nutritional properties.

Within the CAMELMILK project, WIISE (through its FARE division) addressed the critical intersection of technical-regulatory compliance and market authorization for emerging food sectors.

Our involvement ensured that technical advancements in camel milk production remained compliant with stringent EU food safety and hygiene standards, positioning us as an essential resource for partners navigating the “Novel Food” and regulatory compliance requirements of international research consortia.

1. FACT SHEET

FULL PROJECT TITLE (ACRONYM):

Boost the production, transformation and consumption of camel milk in the Mediterranean basin (CAMELMILK)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

CAMELMILK focused on empowering smallholders and SMEs in the camel milk sector by providing tools to increase competitiveness and growth toward job creation on both shores of the Mediterranean. The project aimed at improving production efficiency, adapting processing technologies for dairy products like cheese and fermented milk, and ensuring these products meet high quality and safety standards for both local and EU markets.

REFERENCE PROGRAMME (CALL):

PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area), Section 1 Call 2018 – Agro-Food Value Chain.

FUNDING BODY:

This project was funded by the EU Horizon 2020 program through the PRIMA Foundation.

SELECTION EXCELLENCE:

Demonstrating high strategic and scientific value, our project was one of only 3 selected projects out of more than 90 submitted proposals worldwide for this specific Agro-Food thematic area, achieving a highly competitive success rate of 3.3%.

DURATION:

Start Date: 01/06/2019

End Date: 30/11/2022 (Extended from 31/12/2021)

PROJECT BUDGET:

Total €2,000,000.00

2. CAMELMILK CONSORTIUM

CONSORTIUM:

• Coordinator: IRTA (Institute of Agribusiness Research and Technology) – Spain
• WIISE’s Role: Partner and the only Italian representative in the consortium, WP5 leader.
• Partners: 14 partners including universities, research centres, SMEs and specialized consultancies.

PARTNERS LIST:

Agrifood & Research Partners

• Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) – https://www.irta.cat/en/
• German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL e.V.) – https://www.dil-ev.de/en/
• Adnan Menderes University – https://www.adu.edu.tr/en/
• University of El Oued (NARI) – https://www.univ-eloued.dz/en/

Technical & Business Services

• WIISE, division FARE – http://www.wiisebenefit.com, https://www.fareagrifood.com/
• Genius Consulting – https://geniusconsulting.hr/en/
• International Camel Expertise (ICE) – https://www.camel-expertise.org/
• Apexagri (APEX) (Francia) – https://www.apexagri.com/

Production, Farms & Agro-Industry

• OASIS Wildlife Fuerteventura (Oasis Park) – https://oasiswildlifefuerteventura.com/en/
• Agro-Food Industrie (Chiffe Agro Industries) – https://agrofoodindustrie.com/
• Easy Tedjane Laitiers (Sarl Laiterie Tedjane) – https://www.pagesjaunes-dz.com/profil/sarl-laiterie-tedjane (Official Directory)
• SASU CAMEL IDEE – https://camel-idee.com/ – https://camelmilk-prima.org/partners/ (Project Partner Page)
• KAYA KARDESLER CAMEL FARM – https://www.sifalidevesutu.com.tr/
• Ovacik Mandira (OVACIK)
• Julien Ernest Richard (JOB)

GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE:

Countries Involved:

Spain, Algeria, Germany, Croatia, France, Turkiye, and Italy

Pilots:

Testing and Implementation in four camel farms and SMEs across Spain, France, Turkiye, and Algeria

3. CAMELMILK MISSION AND OBJECTIVES

MISSION

To promote the production, processing, and consumption of camel milk and dairy products in the Mediterranean area, boosting competitiveness and job creation on both shores.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

1. Improve camel milk production systems (animal welfare, hygiene protocols) in Algeria and Turkiye to meet EU standards
2. Adapt processing technologies to produce camel dairy products (pasteurized milk, cheese, fermented products)
3. Determine regulatory and legislative requirements for commercialization within the EU, addressing current regulatory and legislative barriers.
4. Define effective business models and market strategies “from camel to mug”for each industrial partner

4. CAMELMILK PROJECT RESULTS AND IMPACT

KEY PROJECT OUTPUTS

• Development of a “Handbook for Camel Farm Management”
• Production of at least three types of camel dairy products (pasteurized milk, cheese, and fermented products) at pilot and industrial scales in the target regions
• Analysis of consumer perceptions and acceptance tests across the EU, Turkiye, and Algeria
• Analysis of food legislation and Novel Food dossiers in relation to camel milk products

PROJECT OUTCOMES

• Improved vertical and horizontal integration within the camel milk value chain
• Establishment of hygienic and production protocols that align non-EU countries with EU standards
• Validated technologies for camel milk processing at pilot and industrial scales
• Outlined the authorization pathways established for trading camel milk within the EU
• Enhanced consumer awareness and interest in camel dairy products

FOCUS ON THE WIISE CONTRIBUTION

WIISE (through its FARE division) served as the regulatory backbone of the project. While other partners focused on the “how” of production, WIISE focused on the “legally how” of market entry.

By integrating R&D with technical-regulatory compliance, lobbying and public relations, we successfully addressed the regulatory barriers that often stall the introduction of traditional products from non-EU countries into the European market.

WIISE ensured that the scientific innovations achieved by the consortium would have the potential to reach supermarket shelves, mediating the path from the lab to the market.

5. WIISE ROLE AND OBJECTIVES WITHIN THE PROJECT

WIISE ROLE IN THE CONSORTIUM

• Lead for WP5: Regulatory Issues and Legislation
• Technical and Regulatory Partner, responsible for legal, technical-regulatory, public relations, and lobbying services

WIISE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

• Analyse EU and national food legislation to identify barriers to camel milk trade.
• Determine if camel milk products have a “history of safe use” in the EU prior to 1997 to bypass Novel Food requirements.
• Determine the condition to activate the simplified approval process under Reg. (EU) 2015/2283 for traditional products from non-EU countries.
• Verify the potential application of nutrition and health claims to stimulate the marketing and consumption of camel milk in the EU
• Coordinate the legal and regulatory compliance of all project outputs.
• Facilitate the dissemination of project results through specialized agribusiness channels.

6. WIISE ACTIVITIES AND WORK PACKAGES (WP)

PROJECT WORKPLAN TIMELINE (2019-2022)

The project followed a strategic three-year progression to move from initial research to industrial scale-up:

• Year 1 (Months 1–12): Baseline & Analysis
  • Technical farm studies and creation of the camel farm management handbook
  • Comprehensive analysis of existing food legislation
  • Analysis of the existing value chain and research into consumer perceptions
• Year 2 (Months 13–24): Pilot Testing & Standards
  • Testing of pasteurized milk, fermented products, and cheese at the pilot plant level
  • Implementation of EU production standards across the consortium
  • Development of recommendations for better interaction between value-chain actors
• Year 3 (Months 25–36): Industrial Scale-up & Exploitation
  • Scaling production to an industrial level for the three primary dairy types
  • Finalizing business models for farms and industrial partners
  • Conducting consumer acceptance tests on the final dairy products

WIISE CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROJECT WPs

Along each project phase, WIISE ensured that the technical innovations developed in all Work Packages (such as new cheese-making technologies) could be legally commercialized. This work bridged the gap between EU and non-EU countries in the Mediterranean area, facilitating commercial interaction and creating a “legal passport” for traditional products to enter the EU.

Activity Groups / WP	Activities Performed by FARE
Analysis & Regulatory (WP5)	Conducted deep-dive analysis of food legislation and exporting laws in both EU and non-EU countries (Algeria, Turkey)
Novel Food Compliance (WP5)	Investigated historical consumption data of camel milk in Europe; prepared legal frameworks for “Traditional Food” notifications under EU 2015/2283
Nutrition and Health Claims (WP5)	Evaluated the potential application of nutrition claims in relation to the nutritional value, and opportunities to submit dossiers for scientific-based health claims related to camel milk’s nutritional properties
Strategic Planning (WP7)	Contribution to the definition of business models to ensure regulatory compliance “from camel to mug”
Dissemination (WP9)	Strategic dissemination through specialized agribusiness channels, including editorial contributions and articles on WIISE editorial platforms such as foodtimes.eu to bridge the gap between industry and policy.
Stakeholder Lobbying (WP9)	Provided lobbying and public relations services to ensure the sector’s needs were represented to relevant agribusiness authorities.

SUMMARY OF REGULATORY & TECHNICAL STEPS

As the leader of WP5 (Regulatory Issues and Legislation), WIISE focused on overcoming the legal barriers to entry for camel milk in the European market.

Phase	Objective	Actions Taken
I. Legal Mapping	Identify barriers	Analysed national legislations and exporting laws in EU and Mediterranean member states.
II. Historical Evidence	Avoid “Novel Food” status	Searched for detectable evidence of camel milk consumption in the EU prior to May 15, 1997, and history of safe use in third countries.
III. Market Authorization	Regulatory Compliance	Identification of the procedure for the ‘novel food status’ assessment and the approval process for “Novel Foods” in the absence of significant prior consumption evidence.
IV. Simplified Procedure	Efficiency	Possibility to apply the simplified procedure under Reg. (EU) 2015/2283 for traditional products from non-EU countries.
V. Future Claims	Added Value	Evaluated opportunities for nutrition claims in the labelling and submitting dossiers regarding specific health claims for camel milk.

7. WIISE RESULTS, IMPACT, AND OPPORTUNITIES

SPECIFIC PROJECT OUTPUTS PRODUCED BY WIISE

• Regulatory roadmap: legal dossiers for the commercialization of camel dairy products in the EU.
• Novel food assessment: Identification of the Simplified Procedure as the most viable legal path for non-EU camel milk imports.
• Technical Dissemination: Series of technical articles and communications ensuring the project’s findings reached the global agribusiness sector.

IMPACT GENERATED BY WIISE

• Market De-risking: by clarifying the framework for the determination of Novel Food status, FARE established the basis to reduce the legal risk for SMEs looking to invest in camel milk processing.
• Strategic Communication: High-level dissemination on platforms like foodtimes.eu increased the visibility of the project among EU policymakers and agribusiness stakeholders.

OPPORTUNITIES CREATED

• Established a pathway for non-EU countries (Algeria, Turkiye) to export to the EU.
• Facilitated the use of nutrition claims and the potential submission of health claim dossiers for camel milk’s nutritional benefits.

LESSONS LEARNED

Through this project, WIISE has solidified its expertise in the Novel Food application process, the use of nutrition and health claims, and the regulatory harmonization of Mediterranean food systems.

We have integrated these lessons into our consultancy services, offering clients a proven methodology for bringing traditional and innovative food products into the EU market.