There are more than 10,000  species of seaweed at our disposal and it could be the product that allows us to solve the problems of our food system. Companies like Seamore are revolutionizing shopping carts products made from seaweed and … they are not going to stop!

If you are serious about fitness, you will have noticed from your trips to the supermarket more and more products made with dehydrated seaweed for salads and other recipes. It’s an emerging trend and so far we have only seen the tip of the iceberg: bacon, pasta, tortillas, hamburgers, bread … all of these can be made with seaweed!

Low in fat (about 3%) and carbohydrates (less than 4%) and high in fibre (more than 35%) and protein (about 20%), the possibilities presented by seaweed are endless and sustainable: if we cultivated seaweed in an area that occupied half of Spain, (0.5% of the world’s oceans), we would produce enough protein for the entire world population.

Rich in minerals essential for the smooth functioning of our nervous system, energy metabolism and the correct production of thyroid hormones, seaweed is a new food that we need to consider seriously.

We asked our nutrition and gastronomy expert from Muscle & Health, Natalia Nazarenko, about seaweed and discovered she is a fan of the product: “Seaweed is fabulous,” she says. “It can be used for salads, soups, stews, rice, croquettes and tortillas. It is usually sold dehydrated and you have to boil it for 15 to 20 minutes, or leave it to soak in salted water for about 10 minutes, to recover its properties. I love using it in salads and fish soup dishes but you have to take into account that when they hydrate, their volume increases considerably.”

The company Seamore was founded in 2015 with a seaweed product that looked like green noodles and was marketed as I Sea Pasta. After replacing the carbohydrates with plants, the company discovered another type of seaweed that when fried resembles bacon: I Sea Bacon. It has a similar flavour but without the saturated fats. This means it can be enjoyed without having to kill any pigs, or damage the environment. The success of both products, along with growth through crowdfunding, has prompted the company to announce the launch of tortillas for wraps and bread made with 50% seaweed, while designing new products such as rice pancakes, hummus and other products we consume daily to demonstrate how easy it can be to integrate seaweed into our daily diet. Several of its products have already won awards for sustainability, flavour and novelty.

It takes more than innovative products to change the present and future of food. It is difficult for new foods to make a dent in the market, as the traditional model presents so many obstacles: distributors, wholesalers and retailers are geared up to sell huge quantities of products that consumers already know, rather than new products aimed at new audiences. Add in the legal complexities, plus the fact that eating habits are very difficult to change, and it is evident why the food landscape changes so slowly.

Willem Sodderland says: “We have to rebuild the food value chain so that consumers have access to new foods, starting with their distribution.” The new model of selling products over the internet means new products can be more easily introduced, and shortens the link between consumers and manufacturers. Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods is a good example of what will happen in the future.

Until recently, there was little information on how to treat seaweed and what ingredients to combine. In order to replace the wheat with these marine plants in I Sea Wrap, Seamore had to invent a completely new type of dough. It took six months to create a recipe that contains 50% seaweed, with 19% more protein and 25% more fibre.

After this development, the company now plans to include seaweed in other products to create food with less fat, less gluten, more protein and more flavours similar to meat. To give one example, the formula created for the tortillas inspired them to make another product: a bread made from seaweed that soon will be marketed in a chain of bakeries in Amsterdam.