Royal Netherlands Standardization Institute (NEN)

European agreements on quality and safety of algae

NEN, the Royal Netherlands Standardization Institute, connects parties and stakeholders and ensures that they reach agreements in standards and guidelines via national and / or international standards committees. At a European level, the standardization committee CEN/TC 454 'Algae and algae products' meets regularly in order to develop European standards for algae and algae products. Laboratory analyses used for novel food dossiers are preferably standardised. NEN is project leader for the European standardisation of algae and algal products CEN/TC 454. Since 2018 we have been involved in this project as being a convenor of one of the working groups.

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Algae and seaweeds are promising to contribute to the global food supply. Clear agreements on the quality and safety of algae on an European level will give confidence in the European algae market, which will offers opportunities for growth of this sustainable sector.

The European process for standardisation is being conducted in eight working groups consisting of experts from different European Member States. These experts develop the standards, whereas NEN and an external convenor provide assistance to the stakeholders involved in setting standards.

Strategic consultant Marjolein van der Spiegel is convenor of working group CEN/TC 454/WG 4. From 2018 to 2021 this working group has developed a technical report CEN/TR 17559:2022 which provides an overview of limits, procedures and analytical methods for the application of algae as food or feed. From 2022 to 2024 this working group is being developing a standardised method for the determination of inorganic arsenic in algae.

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