Seaweed: The World-Saving Superfood You Never Knew Existed

Vincent Doumeizel, Senior Adviser at the United Nations Global Compact on Oceans and Director for the Food Programme for the Lloyds Register Foundation, as well as guest editor of CNN's Call to Earth series, believes that seaweed holds immense potential as an untapped resource on our planet.

It can be a nutritious food, an alternative to plastic, restore our oceans and could even help tackle climate change. But while there are 12,000 different types of seaweed, we know how to cultivate fewer than 30. If we're to make the most of this miraculous plant-like algae, we must learn to love it and learn to grow it sustainably.

Sustainable food source

The current state of our land-based food systems poses threats to the environment through global warming and biodiversity loss, while also leaving over 800 million people without access to sufficient food. Surprisingly, despite oceans covering more than two thirds of the Earth, they contribute to less than 3% of our overall food calories, as stated by certain estimates.

To transform this situation, we can promote the cultivation of seaweed. Seaweed is an extraordinarily fast-growing resource that requires neither land nor pesticides, and doesn't rely on watering. Additionally, it is abundant in protein, nutrients, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

What's more, dried seaweed not only retains its nutrients, but it also offers several advantages. As a nutritious product, it can be stored for a long time without refrigeration during transport, which is beneficial for emerging economies where access to refrigeration is limited. Additionally, this resilient nature of dried seaweed contributes to reducing carbon emissions associated with keeping perishable produce fresh.

Seaweed, a long-standing ingredient in Asian cuisine, is gaining worldwide popularity due to its nutritional advantages and sustainable nature. One such example is Miyeok-guk, a traditional Korean soup comprising miyeok (a specific type of seaweed), beef, and various vegetables. Often enjoyed during birthdays, this dish is just one of many ways to incorporate seaweed into your meals. Explore the gallery below to discover more delectable seaweed options.

Seaweed has become popular in Western baking in recent years. In Portland, US, the Southside Bakery prepares fresh seaweed bagels.

Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald/Getty Images

The Tail Up Goat restaurant in Washington, DC, serves toasted seaweed sourdough topped with pickled fennel.

Dixie D. Vereen/The Washington Post/Getty Images

For those with more of a sweet tooth, in her latest book "Irish Seaweed Kitchen" chef Prannie Rhatigan has a recipe for banana bread that includes alaria seaweed.

Romas Foord

She also has a recipe for gingerbread cookies that includes seaweed, which she says is a great way to get kids into eating the algae.

Romas Foord

For an enhanced health boost, consider incorporating seaweed into your daily smoothie. According to Rhatigan, numerous types of seaweed can be utilized and combined with your preferred fruits and vegetables. In fact, including a variety of seaweed types can further enhance the nutritional benefits, as suggested by Rhatigan.

Kate Waters

If these creative recipes aren't enticing, you can always opt for the well-known dishes associated with seaweed, such as sushi rolls. These rolls, consisting of fish and rice wrapped in dried seaweed, are widely found worldwide and are a fundamental part of Japanese cuisine.

In Asia, seaweed salads are also popular, such as this one which uses sea spaghetti for its color, light texture and versatile taste.

Natasha Breen/REDA&CO/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

has reimagined the traditional miyeok-guk at the renowned Seoul restaurant, Soigné. Chef Jun Lee's innovative twist incorporates succulent abalone, delicately coated in a seaweed-infused beurre blanc sauce.

Bringing seaweed into the kitchen with recipes old and new

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But despite its huge potential, seaweed cultivation is currently largely limited to Asia, which is responsible for 98% of the 35 million metric tons of seaweed sold worldwide.

The world must embrace seaweed as a food in order to establish a resilient market for it elsewhere. Cultivating seaweed has massive potential, with the ability to farm it across an ocean area nearly the size of Australia. According to a study conducted by the University of Queensland in Australia, seaweed farming on a global scale could provide enough food to meet 10% of human diets by 2050.

Seaweed offers benefits for food production even when not consumed by humans. It can serve as a natural biostimulant for plants, effectively replacing fertilizers. Additionally, it can be used as animal feed, with research suggesting that it may help reduce the emission of methane, a greenhouse gas, by cattle.

A green solution

Beyond food production, seaweed offers a host of other environmental benefits.

It has been used to create alternatives to plastic packaging that are biodegradable and compostable, and even edible.

A restaurant in Jakarta serves ice cream in an edible cup made of seaweed.

Jonas Gratzer/LightRocket/Getty Images

Some companies are adopting it as a substitute for cotton, a crop that consumes significant amounts of land, water, and pesticides.

Furthermore, this alternative holds promise as a scalable, environmentally friendly approach to combatting climate change. Seaweed has the ability to absorb carbon dioxide while growing, and its growth rate is truly remarkable. Giant kelp, for instance, can increase by a staggering 50 centimeters in a single day and reach towering heights of approximately 60 meters.

David Lineton/Notpla

Is seaweed capable of resolving the global plastic crisis? Research has explored the use of seaweeds as a carbon reservoir. While further investigation is required, a study indicates that seaweed habitats are deemed the most fruitful among all coastal vegetation systems. It also proposes that the global seaweed population sequesters an equivalent amount of carbon to the combined total of seagrass meadows, saltmarshes, and mangroves across the planet.

Whats more, seaweed has the potential to play a vital role in restoring and revitalizing our oceans. By absorbing harmful substances like heavy metals and nitrates, it acts as a natural filter, purifying the water and creating a healthier environment for marine life. Furthermore, seaweed serves as a crucial habitat for various marine species, promoting biodiversity and providing a sanctuary for smaller organisms to escape from predators.

Under threat

In British Columbia, Canada, a biologist demonstrates the clumps of dulse seaweed cultivated by Cascadia Seaweed. The purpose of cultivating this algae is to utilize it as a feed additive and biostimulant in agriculture.

In recent years, California, Norway, and Tasmania have experienced the devastating loss of more than 80% of their kelp, a consequence of climate change, pollution, and overfishing. This alarming trend highlights the growing vulnerability of seaweed, just as we are beginning to realize its unexplored potential.

Photographer Credit: Zafer Kizilkaya

Caption: Aerial view of Gokova Bay MPA.

Zafer Kizilkaya

Environmental heros mission to save the most over-fished sea in the world

We urgently need to protect, replant and cultivate these ecosystems or they will disappear.

I am a parent of three children and it is crucial for them to understand the solutions to the environmental challenges our planet is currently confronting. Seaweed holds immense potential in this regard.

By mastering sustainable methods for cultivating our ocean, we can play a significant role in not only feeding the entire global population, but also combating climate change and revitalizing biodiversity. However, achieving this objective requires collective efforts. Therefore, it is vital to reconsider our perceptions of seaweed as being slimy, unpleasant-smelling, and unappealing. Instead, we should recognize it as an integral component of our future.

"The Seaweed Revolution," authored by Vincent Doumeizel and published by Legend Press, is currently available for purchase in the United States.

Editors Note: Call to Earth, a CNN editorial series, aims to address the environmental challenges our planet is facing, alongside highlighting potential solutions. CNN's partnership with Rolex's Perpetual Planet initiative seeks to raise awareness and promote education regarding crucial sustainability issues, with the ultimate goal of inspiring positive action.