Optimizing Marine Plant–Based Foods: Integrating Nutritional Value, Food Safety, Consumer Acceptance, Affordability, and Environmental Footprints.

Marine plant–based foods, including seaweeds and other macroalgae, are emerging as promising resources for human nutrition and food innovation. Recent research highlights their rich nutritional profiles, potential health benefits, and minimal land and freshwater requirements. Despite these advantages, challenges remain regarding consistent nutritional value, food safety concerns such as contaminants or allergens, and the level of consumer acceptance across different regions and cultural contexts. Affordability and environmental sustainability are also central issues, especially as the demand for food sources with low ecological impact rises in response to global climate and population pressures. To date, scientific efforts have delivered valuable insights into nutrient composition, bioactive compounds, and cultivation practices, but comprehensive frameworks addressing all key aspects collectively remain underdeveloped.This Research Topic aims to advance our understanding of how to effectively optimize marine plant–based foods as accessible, safe, nutritious, and sustainable options for consumers. Central goals include evaluating current scientific evidence on nutritional benefits and potential risks, addressing food safety from production to consumption, and identifying barriers to consumer adoption. The Research Topic also seeks to explore methodologies and innovations that can reduce costs and environmental footprints, while taking into account socioeconomic factors and prevailing regulatory frameworks. By integrating these diverse perspectives, this Research Topic strives to foster multidisciplinary dialogue and innovation, contributing to the responsible development and wider acceptance of marine plant–based foods.The scope of this Research Topic encompasses original research, reviews, and perspectives focused on all aspects of marine plant–based foods for human consumption. Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:o Nutritional analysis and enhancement of marine plant–based foodso Food safety and contaminant risk assessments throughout the value chaino Strategies to increase consumer acceptance and overcome cultural or perceptual barrierso Economic assessments and approaches to improve affordability and market accesso Evaluation and mitigation of environmental footprints, including lifecycle assessments and ecologically sensitive cultivation methodsSubmissions covering technological innovations, public health impacts, policy implications, and multidisciplinary intersections are also welcome Topic editors: Alexandru Rusu, Monica Trif, Fatih OZOGUL, Lubna Ahmed Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/77826/optimizing-marine-plant-based-foods-integrating-nutritional-value-food-safety-consumer-acceptance-affordability-and-environmental-footprints