Interest in seaweed production and consumption is growing across the United States. With increasing production comes a greater need for processing and enhancing processing infrastructure for seaweed and seaweed products. As the industry continues to develop new products and works towards growing the consumer market, it is important to provide guidance on food safety hazards and their controls to protect public health.
For nearly two years, a global team of food safety experts has been actively discussing the challenges surrounding seaweed food safety. Within this group, a core team has successfully secured funding through the USDA Food Safety Outreach Program to develop a Seaweed and Seaweed Products Hazards and Controls Guide, like the FDA’s “Fish and Fisheries Products Hazards and Controls Guide”. The guidance document, under development, will support the growing industry by providing the resources necessary to develop and implement effective controls for significant food safety hazards. Drawing on the available scientific knowledge, the guidance will cover all potential food safety hazards associated with seaweed species and processing methods. In addition to outlining the hazards, it will provide some insights on strategies for controlling such hazards within seaweed processing operations.
The project team is in the final stages of completing first draft of the guidance document, which will go under review by experts both nationally and internationally. Once published, it will support safe processing and marketing of seaweed products globally and serve as the foundation for future discussions on developing a seaweed specific food safety training.