Very few algae species were authorized as non-novel food or non-novel food supplements in the EU so far (some 20). On multiple occasions industry representatives acknowledged this as a major bottleneck slowing algae sector developments in the EU. Problem: to bring any algae specie to the EU market as food or food supplement, implies a lengthy and costly procedure according to the Novel Food Regulation.
However, if there are evidences of algae species that were used as a traditional food in any EU Member State before 15 May 1997, its use in food supplements is not considered to be novel and is not subject to the pre-market authorisation in accordance with Novel Food Regulation (EU) 2015/2283.
JRC has made a compilation of such species in their 2021 Report
Based on knowledge available in that report, SANTE kicked off a validation procedure with EU Member States health authorities, that resulted in substantial extension of the list of algae species authorized as food or food supplements in the EU. More than 20 new species were added to the Novel Food catalogue with at least 10 million EUR cost savings for the EU algae industry
Please see below the list of algae species and their status extracted for your convenience (please refer to the EU novel food catalogue for exact details for each specie)
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List of algae species in the EU Novel Food catalogue (February 2024) |
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Algae species |
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Alaria esculenta (Linnaeus) Greville 1830 |
Not novel in food |
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Alsidium helminthochorton (Schwendimann) Kützing 1843 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Aphanizomenon flos-aquae Ralfs ex Bornet & Flahault 1886 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Arthrospira platensis Gomont 1892 [= Oscillatoria platensis (Gomont) Bourrelly 1970; Spirulina platensis (Gomont) Geitler 1925] |
Not novel in food |
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Ascophyllum nodosum (Linnaeus) Le Jolis 1863 [= Fucus nodosus Linnaeus 1753; Ascophyllum laevigata) Stackhouse 1809] Ascophyllum laevigata |
Not novel in food |
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Auxenochlorella protothecoides (Krüger) Kalina & Puncochárová 1987 |
Not novel in food |
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Chlorella sorokiniana Shihira & R.W.Krauss 1965 |
Not novel in food |
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Chlorella vulgaris Beyerinck [Beijerinck] 1890, Chlorella pyrenoidosa, Jaagichlorella luteoviridis |
Not novel in food |
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Chondrus crispus Stackhouse 1797, Mastocarpus stellatus (Stackhouse) Guiry 1984 |
Not novel in food |
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Corallina officinalis L. 1758 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Dunaliella salina (Dunal) Teodoresco 1905 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Durvillaea antarctica (Chamisso) Hariot 1892 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Eisenia bicyclis (Kjellman) Setchell 1905 |
Not novel in food |
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Ecklonia cava Kjellman 1885 |
Whole: not novel in food supplements. Ecklonia cava phlorotannins - authorized novel food (included in Union list) |
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Erythroglossum laciniatum (Lightfoot) Maggs & Hommersand 1993 |
Not novel in food |
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Eucheuma denticulatum (N.L.Burman) Collins & Hervey 1917 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Eucheuma horridum J. Agardh 1852 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Euglena gracilis G.A.Klebs 1883 |
Whole: Novel Food, dried biomass - authorized novel food (Union List) |
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Fucus serratus L. 1773 |
Not novel in food |
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Fucus spiralis L. 1753 |
Not novel in food |
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Fucus vesiculosus L. 1773 |
Not novel in food |
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Gelidium amansii (J.V. Lamouroux) J.V.Lamouroux 1813 |
Not novel in food |
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Gelidium corneum (Hudson) J.V.Lamouroux 1813 |
Not novel in food |
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Gracilaria gracilis (Stackhouse) M. Steentoft, L.M. Irvine & W.F. Farnham 1995 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Gracilariopsis longissima (S.G.Gmelin) Steentoft, L.M.Irvine & Farnham 1995 |
Not novel in food |
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Graesiella emersonii (Shihira & R.W.Krauss) H.Nozaki, M.Katagiri, M.Nakagawa, K.Aizawa & M.M.Watanabe 1995 |
Not novel in food |
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Haematococcus lacustris (Girod-Chantrans) Rostafinski 1875 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Himanthalia elongata (L.) S.F. Gray 1821 |
Not novel in food |
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Jaagichlorella luteoviridis (Chodat) Darienko & Pröschold 2019 Chlorella luteoviridis |
Not novel in food |
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Laminaria digitata (Hudsoon) J.V. Lamouroux 1813 |
Not novel in food |
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Laminaria hyperborea (Gunnerus) Foslie 1885 |
Not novel in food |
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Limnospira fusiformis (Voronichin) Nowicka-Krawczyk, Mühlsteinová & Hauer 2019 |
Not novel in food |
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Limnospira indica (Desikachary & N.Jeeji Bai) Nowicka-Krawczyk, Mühlsteinová & Hauer 2019 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Limnospira maxima (Setchell & N.L.Gardner) Nowicka-Krawczyk, Mühlsteinová & Hauer 2019 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C. Agardh 1820 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Mastocarpus stellatus (Stackhouse) Guiry 1984 |
Not novel in food supplements |
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Neopyropia leucosticta (Thuret) L.-E.Yang & J.Brodie 2020 |
Not novel in food |
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Pyropia tenera (Kjellman) N.Kikuchi, M.Miyata, M.S.Hwang & H.G.Choi 2011 |
Not novel in food |
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Odontella aurita (Lyngbye) C.Agardh 1832 |
Whole: authorized novel food (Union list) |
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Palmaria palmata (Linnaeus) F.Weber & D.Mohr 1805 Rhodymenia palmata |
Not novel in food |
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Parachlorella kessleri (Fott & Nováková) Krienitz, E.H.Hegewald, Hepperle, V.Huss, T.Rohr & M.Wolf 2004 |
Not novel in food |
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Phymatolithon calcareum (Pallas) W.H.Adey & D.L.McKibbin ex Woelkering & L.M.Irvine 1986 |
Not novel in food |
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Porphyra dioica J.Brodie & L.M.Irvine 1997 |
Not novel in food |
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Porphyra purpurea (Roth) C.Agardh 1824 |
Not novel in food |
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Porphyra umbilicalis Kützing 1843 Erythroglossum laciniatum (Lightfoot) Maggs & Hommersand 1993 |
Not novel in food |
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Pyropia yezoensis (Ueda) M.S.Hwang & H.G.Choi 2011 |
Not novel in food |
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Saccharina japonica (Areschoug) C.E.Lane, C.Mayes, Druehl & G.W.Saunders 2006 |
Not novel in food |
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Saccharina latissima (L.) C.E.Lane, C.Mayes, Druehl & G.W.Saunders 2006 |
Not novel in food |
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Sargassum fusiforme (Harvey) Setchell 1931 |
Not novel in food |
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Scenedesmus vacuolatus Shihira & Krauss |
Not novel in food |
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Spirulina major Kützing ex Gomont 1892 |
Not novel in food |
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Tetraselmis chuii Butcher |
Whole: authorized novel food (Union list) |
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Ulva lactuca Linnaeus 1753 Porphyra purpurea (Roth) C.Agardh 1824 |
Not novel in food |
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Ulva intestinalis Linnaeus 1753 |
Not novel in food |
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Undaria pinnatifida (Harvey) Suringar 1873 |
Not novel in food |
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Auxenochlorella pyrenoidosa (H. Chick) Molinari & Calvo-Pérez 2015 [= Chlorella pyrenoidosa H. Chick 1903] |
Not novel in food |
Remark: because non-novel algae are considered as regular food or ingredient they can be consumed with other non-novel algal species or any other ingredient as food or food supplement (as clarified by DG SANTE)