Are wild and cultivated flowers served in restaurants or sold by local producers in Denmark safe for the consumer?

Food and Chemical Toxicology Volume 120, October 2018, Pages 129-142 Food and Chemical Toxicology Review Author links open overlay panelMikael M.EgebjergPelle T.OlesenFolmer D.EriksenGitteRavn-HarenLeaBredsdorffKirstenPilegaard National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, Building 201, DK-2800, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark Received 2 March 2018, Revised 8 June 2018, Accepted 3 July 2018, Available online 5 July 2018. crossmark-logo https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2018.07.007 Get rights and content Highlights • Review of wild flowers used at restaurants shows a striking lack of safety data. • 13 plants contained potential toxic compounds in the flowers or other plant parts. • Limited historical data on food use from ethnobotanical surveys. Abstract New Nordic Food has within the last decade received much media coverage with chefs of top restaurants using wild plants for foods. As part of a control campaign, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration visited 150 restaurants and local food producers from May-October 2016 and investigated their use of plants picked from the wild, cultivated in private gardens or market gardens. Among the species used were the flowers from 23 plants. Here we present a safety evaluation of these flowers based on published phytochemical investigations and toxicological data in humans, farm animals, pets, or experimental animals. Of the 23 flowers reviewed, nine contained compounds with toxic or potentially toxic effects if eaten, two contained unidentified toxic compound(s), and four were flowers from plants with potentially toxic compounds present in other plant parts or related species. Many of the flowers may be considered novel, since a use to a significant degree in Europe prior to 15 May 1997 before Regulation (EC) 258/97 on novel food and novel food ingredients came into force could not be established. In conclusion, this review illuminates a striking lack of chemical and toxicological data of many of the proposed wild or cultivated flowers for food use. Next article Keywords Novel food New Nordic Food Review Food safety Toxicology