Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Management, Economic Engineering in Agriculture and rural development", Vol. 23 ISSUE 2
Written by Silviu Ionuț BEIA, Romeo CREȚU, Iulian ALECU, Violeta Elena BEIA, Silviu Viorel ANDREI

The difficulty of finding non-animal protein sources has determined scholars to explore the less researched plants in recent decades. Alternative protein sources, such as those derived from multicellular fungus, microalgae, and unconventional vegetables, have become a prominent focus in Western studies, particularly because urbanization and distance from metropolitan centres might limit access to food plant resources. Plant-based proteins are regarded an economical option and can be derived from industrial waste, which is abundant and has significant health benefits. The present article aims at exploring the potential of unconventional food plants, as although not much attention is dedicated to them throughout the public food chains, they have gained much academic interest in the last 10 years. Particularly, their potential in Europe, as well as in Romania is the focus of this paper. In Romania, while the current legislation recognizes their existence, their understanding is limited to that of genetically modified organisms. The implications of this lack of understanding are outlined in the final part of this paper.

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