From foraged food commonly associated with poverty, to a super crop that has investors waiting with bated breath, seaweed in the western world has undergone a reinvention that Madonna would be proud of.

Helped by a boom in the health and wellbeing industry, seaweed has emerged as the next ‘superfood’. An incredibly good dietary source of iodine, which helps regulate the thyroid gland and metabolism, it is also packed with other vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin K, B vitamins, zinc and iron, along with antioxidants that help protect your cells from damage. It already retails as a healthy snack, or as a salt substitute and top chefs are becoming increasingly interested in its various culinary uses.

While Asia continues to dominate seaweed production – around 99 percent of the world’s farmed seaweed – and has for centuries treated certain species as a delicacy, Europe and North America is only now rediscovering the benefits of macroalgae.

A rush of start-up companies are keen to get in on an expanding industry currently worth around $15 billion per year and philanthropists, recognising the environmental benefits of such a low-carbon industry, have boosted contributions. According to industry tracker Phyconomy.net, investment deals in seaweed enterprises doubled in 2021 and the total disclosed investment amount grew by 36 percent to $168 million. While Europe is leading in the number of start-ups, it is American companies who find it easiest to attract capital.

(Image credit: The Scottish Association for Marine Science)

Seaweed is also very easy to grow. Farming requires no fresh water or fertiliser, just the right infrastructure and space to grow, sunlight and, preferably, nutrient-rich waters.

It seems that this healthy, sustainable and environmentally-friendly food source has huge potential.

But therein could lie the root of the problem: seaweed has long offered promise and potential but has yet to fully deliver. While the beginning and end of the supply chain seem to be developing at pace, the crucial processing and distribution sections of the value chain are in desperate need of attention. There may also be a further image makeover required; Vincent Doumeizel, a senior advisor to the United Nations on seaweed and a leading light in Europe’s emerging seaweed industry, has often referred to seaweed as ‘sea vegetable’ to more accurately depict its health benefits.

Even setting up a seaweed farm can be a tricky process. Marine policy and planning in many western countries have not fully considered seaweed cultivation and there are precious few examples of scaled-up farms with which to make a business case.

‘Potential’ can be defined as: ‘latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness’. It’s a fair analysis of the seaweed industry in Europe and North America these past few years.

But are we finally on the cusp of something ground-breaking in these parts of the world? Rhianna Rees, the co-ordinator of the newly launched Seaweed Academy at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban and recipient of the Rising Star category at the UK Aquaculture Awards, believes we are.

The Seaweed Academy was established with funding from the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund and is the UK’s first dedicated seaweed industry facility, using the research knowledge generated at SAMS to offer advice to start-ups, train workers and share the latest research to help businesses develop, helping our entrepreneurs and existing aquaculture businesses to overcome the various challenges associated with setting up their own seaweed farms.

Rhianna told ECO Magazine: “Seaweed is a growing, but is still a relatively new industry. We’ve hand harvested seaweed from the shorelines for millennia but, for the first time, we’re looking to cultivate it out at sea. To make sure we operate in the most sustainable way, we need education, awareness, and training.

“People justifiably have a lot of questions. With the right assistance, seaweed is perfectly positioned to offer a wealth of social, economic, and environmental benefits to rural coastal communities in the UK and Europe.

“At SAMS we have decades of expertise and two commercial-scale research farms. By showing people what is possible using our skills and infrastructure, we’re perfectly positioned to offer the best assistance. But, in order to do that, we need to overcome some stigmas around aquaculture, cultivation, and reduce the cost of operating to make it financially viable.”

It is not difficult to visualise seaweed as a part of a regular diet in the western world and the environmental and health benefits are clear. The real breakthrough will come when the entire process, from seed to supermarket, becomes a financial no-brainer too.

This feature appeared in Environment, Coastal & Offshore (ECO) Magazine's 2022 Summer edition, to read more access the magazine here.