Comparative Dietary Safety Assessment of a Traditionally Used Australian Native Grain

Indigenous foods are increasingly being incorporated into contemporary diets, yet many lack dietary safety data and documented histories of use. This provides uncertainty for suppliers and poses challenges for food regulators assessing traditionally used foods entering modern markets. We present a case study of an Australian native grain (ganalay; Astrebla lappacea), traditionally used by the Gamilaraay Peoples, and compare it to commonly consumed wheat using in vitro bioassays and chemical analyses. The native grain exhibited no greater cytotoxicity, oxidative stress, or inflammatory signalling than wheat in human monocyte and hepatocyte bioassays. Chemical analysis showed contaminant levels were below tolerable limits, and no chemical classes of concern were detected. These findings suggest that the tested grain sample poses no greater risk than wheat within the in vitro and chemical contexts examined. This study demonstrates a practicable, low-cost safety assessment framework that supports the inclusion of traditionally used Indigenous foods within contemporary diets, while enabling Indigenous-led development of culturally significant species. The framework provides an initial evidence base that can be interpreted alongside cultural knowledge and histories of use, offering an accessible pathway for communities seeking to understand the safety of their foods, regardless of whether commercialisation is an intended outcome.