Report of the expert meeting on food safety for seaweed – Current status and future perspectives
Hurtado, Anicia, Concepcion, Anoushka, Duinker, Arne, Tiwari, Brijesh, Elvevoll, Edel O., Yukawa, Goichiro, Levine, Ira A., Banach, Jennifer L., Sato, Junichi, Hayes, Maria, Hansen, Max, Abu-Ghannam, Nissreen, Potin, Philippe, Hogstad, Solbjørg, Holdt, Susan Løvstad, Doumiezel, Vincent, Vieira, Vitor Verdelho, Sato, Yoichi
Abstract
Seaweeds or marine macroalgae are pluricellular, photosynthetic organisms found mainly in the marine environment. They are typically classifed by their pigmentation as brown, red or green, and are produced from two sources: wild stocks and aquaculture. Seaweeds have diverse food and non-food applications, some of which have been known for centuries. They are consumed as sea vegetables in soups and salads, used in sushi wrappings, and added to various food formulations for nutritional profle, food additives and favour enhancement. About 80 percent of harvested seaweed goes into human consumption, direct and indirect. Their non-food applications include the production of feed, pharmaceuticals, hydrocolloids, cosmetics, fertilizers, cosmeceuticals, biostimulants and bioactive compounds. In 2018, global seaweed production exceeded 32 million tonnes, tripling from about 11 million tonnes in 2000. In 2019, farmed seaweed production amounted to approximately 35 million tonnes, which constituted 97 percent of global output in that year. Global trade in seaweed and seaweed products amounted to USD 5.6 billion in 2019 alone.