In an interview with Maine Public Radio, researchers from the University of New England (UNE) discussed their recent study of the food safety of seaweed, as well as the regulatory challenges associated with the emerging food. Professors Carrie Byron, Ph.D., and Kristin Burkholder, Ph.D., along with graduate student Jessica Vorse, have been studying controls for pathogens found on seaweed for the past two years. While the researchers’ findings can help inform the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) and industry’s decisions regarding seaweed food safety, there is currently a lack of regulation of seaweed as a food product.
After work by Vorse revealed the presence of low-level pathogens on seaweed harvested for food, the UNE research team was prompted to study which practices are most effective for controlling microbiological contaminants on the marine crop. Although Vorce’s original findings were not cause for concern, Dr. Burkholder expressed that, as the food-grade seaweed industry grows, it is important to keep the crop’s food safety risk low by intentionally managing the way it is handled, stored, and processed.