Cultivating popcorn grass has become popular in recent years.
But now, the Norwegian equivalent of the National Food Agency, Mattilsynet, is warning of problems. It reports NRK.
Food products are not controlled with the purpose of ensuring that they are safe to plant in the soil. They can carry diseases that are contagious between plants, but not necessarily harmful to humans, says Line Ruden, section chief at Mattilsynet, to NRK.
The risk is that the popcorn grass spreads fungi, bacteria, and viruses that do not belong in nature.
The Swedish Board of Agriculture is not as worried, according to NWT.
In principle, it is always good to use certified seeds to keep track of potential diseases and pests, says Thorsten Rahbek-Pedersen, unit manager at the advisory unit for plant nutrition, climate, and water, to the newspaper.
He says there are alternatives to popcorn grass.
If you sow sugar corn, you get equally fine plants, but you also contribute to food supply, he says.
