A joint Nordic project has just ended with a report that focuses on the chemical and microbiological hazards associated with seaweed as a food. The project aims to develop a common Nordic approach to seaweed food safety risk management.

A recent report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization raises a concern with the limited existing data on seaweed food safety, and recommends several actions to close knowledge gaps and increase the safety of seaweed consumption.

While new food sources and food production systems can help address some of the pressing food security and sustainability challenges ahead, they may also bring some unique food safety issues that must be proactively considered and addressed. This article examines the food safety and quality aspects of edible insects and other "new food" sources, such as jellyfish, aquatic algae, seaweed, and invertebrates. 

A research team from the University of New England is addressing the lack of regulatory oversight of edible seaweed by studying the effect that various food safety control measures have on the presence of pathogens on the crop. The researchers also explain why seaweed should not be regulated as shellfish.