I had not heard of Australia’s ban on kombu imports, although California requires similar warning labels on another seaweed, hijiki. Given the amounts of these vegetables that are consumed in Japan I doubt they are any real health danger. Also I think it would have been useful to mention that in Japan kombucha is a drink of actual kombu with a delicate flavor, but now in America at least, the kombucha name has been appropriated for a very different sour drink that contains no actual kombu.
I had not heard of Australia’s ban on kombu imports, although California requires similar warning labels on another seaweed, hijiki. Given the amounts of these vegetables that are consumed in Japan I doubt they are any real health danger. Also I think it would have been useful to mention that in Japan kombucha is a drink of actual kombu with a delicate flavor, but now in America at least, the kombucha name has been appropriated for a very different sour drink that contains no actual kombu.
Mercury poisoning in Japan definitely is a thing though; people eat way too much tuna and other fish with it and are way overfishing.
From the inspired title right down to the end, I loved this! It was informative and also so playful- “rascal seaweed “ !