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.