Some of the f4f model organisms are already available on the market as food.
Although they have been caught and eaten in Southeast Asia and Oceania for several thousand years, jellyfish are relatively unknown and not approved as food in the EU. They would therefore fall under the Novel Food Regulation and be subject to an additional approval process.
Samphire or glasswort is one of the best-known species of the so-called halophytes (salt plants) and grows along the coasts of the northern hemisphere, including in the mudflats of the North and Baltic Seas and in the Mediterranean region. The salty fresh vegetable can already be found in some supermarkets (fish counter). Other edible halophytes include garden orchid, spoonwort, and sea kale. The South American pseudocereal quinoa is also a salt-tolerant plant.
In Europe, marine macroalgae are known as foodstuffs mainly in northern European countries such as Ireland, Scotland and Iceland, but they are also a familiar part of the cuisine in France. In Germany, macroalgae are mainly found in food that at first glance do not appear to be derived from algae. One example is agar-agar, a thickener made from red algae, which is also used as a vegan substitute for gelatin.
Frozen, dried and ground house crickets have been approved as a Novel Food in the EU since 2022. The processing of cricket flour in various foods (such as crisps, granola bars, cookies, bread or pasta) was also permitted under recently.
Julia Vogt
