With increased interest in seaweed production, there is a need for profitable markets for seaweed
products. The food market is seen as one of the most profitable, but there are a myriad of food safety regulations in the United States. These regulations govern the processing and marketing of food products to protect public health and prevent the occurrence of foodborne illness. While some resources already exist on the hazards associated with seaweed products (produced by Connecticut Sea Grant, Alaska Sea Grant, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations and others), there is little guidance on the regulatory requirements for producing seaweed products in the US.
With funding from the National Seaweed Hub, the National Sea Grant Law Center worked with New York Sea Grant and Connecticut Sea Grant to create a guide to help the emerging seaweed industry understand the prevailing regulatory requirements surrounding the production of seaweeds as food. There are currently two regulations that are being used to regulate seaweeds at either the federal or state level: 1) the Preventive Controls for Human Foods (PCHF) regulation under the Food Safety and Modernization Act; and 2) the Seafood HACCP regulation. The guide provides an overview of the PCHF regulation and its application to seaweed operations, a comparison of the PCHF and Seafood HACCP regulations, and a checklist for operations transitioning from Seafood HACCP to PCHF. The guide will help readers understand the similarities and/or differences between the two regulations and determine how their operations will be regulated under the federal framework.