Water lentils have received approval from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for production and consumption as fresh vegetable in the EU.
The researchers from Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands compilied a dossier demonstrating the safety, sustainability, digestibility, and nutritional properties of water lentils, and then submitted it to EFSA for approval. After several years, and plenty of back and forth between WUR and the EFSA committee –including additional questions and answers that required new research and results – EFSA considered everything to be safe, except for the manganese levels in the plant, which were deemed too high to be safely approved. This led WUR to submit an additional report with scientific evidence, showing that slight modifications to the cultivation methods could lower manganese content in the plants to below the limit set by EFSA, 6 mg/kg. In July 2024, EFSA granted approval, then it took an additional six months for the approval to be put into EU legislation.
Water lentils (or duckweed) are small green aquatic plants that naturally grow on the surface of slow-moving or stagnant water, such as lakes and ponds. The plants can also be cultivated in closed environments and therefore have potential to be grown commercially using sustainable farming methods including greenhouses and or vertical farming. As the plants grow on water, there is no need for agricultural land, high amounts of fertilisers, or excessive water use. The plant grows rapidly, in a manner similar to yeast, splitting into two every three to four days, then splitting again into four plants. While this means harvesting needs to happen around once to twice per week, it also means high yields per hectare per year. Not only is the plant a sustainable crop, but it also offers an alternative to traditional food sources, supporting the global transition towards a more plant-based food system.
Water lentils are high in vitamins, minerals and carotenoids, and have an essential amino acid profile that fits the recommendation of the World Health Organization for children aged six months and above.
The current EFSA approval is for two of the 36 species of water lentils, and the approval covers their use as a vegetable only. Drying the ingredient and selling it as a powder is not accepted, twice a company has attempted to gain approval for dried duckweed; both applications were rejected by the EFSA. Ingrid van der Meer – the initiator behind this research – said “there is about 95% water in the fresh plants. So, if you dry it, you really concentrate all the minerals that are present,”, explaining that this elevates mineral levels to unapproved limits.
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EFSA approved the water lentils as a vegetable in the EU
Water lentils have received approval from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for production and consumption as fresh vegetable in the EU.
The researchers from Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands compilied a dossier demonstrating the safety, sustainability, digestibility, and nutritional properties of water lentils, and then submitted it to EFSA for approval. After several years, and plenty of back and forth between WUR and the EFSA committee –including additional questions and answers that required new research and results – EFSA considered everything to be safe, except for the manganese levels in the plant, which were deemed too high to be safely approved. This led WUR to submit an additional report with scientific evidence, showing that slight modifications to the cultivation methods could lower manganese content in the plants to below the limit set by EFSA, 6 mg/kg. In July 2024, EFSA granted approval, then it took an additional six months for the approval to be put into EU legislation.
Water lentils (or duckweed) are small green aquatic plants that naturally grow on the surface of slow-moving or stagnant water, such as lakes and ponds. The plants can also be cultivated in closed environments and therefore have potential to be grown commercially using sustainable farming methods including greenhouses and or vertical farming. As the plants grow on water, there is no need for agricultural land, high amounts of fertilisers, or excessive water use. The plant grows rapidly, in a manner similar to yeast, splitting into two every three to four days, then splitting again into four plants. While this means harvesting needs to happen around once to twice per week, it also means high yields per hectare per year. Not only is the plant a sustainable crop, but it also offers an alternative to traditional food sources, supporting the global transition towards a more plant-based food system.
Water lentils are high in vitamins, minerals and carotenoids, and have an essential amino acid profile that fits the recommendation of the World Health Organization for children aged six months and above.
The current EFSA approval is for two of the 36 species of water lentils, and the approval covers their use as a vegetable only. Drying the ingredient and selling it as a powder is not accepted, twice a company has attempted to gain approval for dried duckweed; both applications were rejected by the EFSA. Ingrid van der Meer – the initiator behind this research – said “there is about 95% water in the fresh plants. So, if you dry it, you really concentrate all the minerals that are present,”, explaining that this elevates mineral levels to unapproved limits.