European Union legislation on macroalgae products
Lähteenmäki-Uutela, Anu; Rahikainen, Moona; Camarena-Gómez, María Teresa; Piiparinen, Jonna; Spilling, Kristian; Yang, Baoru
Peer reviewed, Journal article
Published version
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https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2991254Utgivelsesdato
2021Metadata
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Originalversjon
Lähteenmäki-Uutela, A. Rahikainen, M. Camarena-Gómez, M. T. Piiparinen, J. Spilling, K. Yang, B. (2021). European Union legislation on macroalgae products. Aquaculture International, 29 (2), 487-509. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-020-00633-xSammendrag
Macroalgae-based products are increasing in demand also in Europe. In the European
Union, each category of macroalgae-based products is regulated separately. We discuss
EU legislation, including the law on medicinal products, foods including food supplements and food additives, feed and feed additives, cosmetics, packaging materials,
fertilizers and biostimulants, as well as biofuels. Product safety and consumer protection
are the priorities with any new products. Macroalgae products can be sold as traditional
herbal medicines. The novel food regulation applies to macroalgae foods that have not
previously been used as food, and organic macroalgae are a specific regulatory category.
The maximum levels of heavy metals may be a barrier for macroalgae foods, feeds, and
fertilizers. Getting health claims approved for foods based on macroalgae is demanding.
In addition to the rules on products, the macroalgae business is strongly impacted by the
elements of the general regulatory environment such as agricultural/aquacultural subsidies, maritime spatial planning and aquaculture licensing, public procurement criteria, tax
schemes, and trade agreements.