Algae May Soon Be the New Kale

The population of the world just hit 8 billion, an increase of one billion in only 12 years. And the growth is still continuing. By current methods, feeding more people would require a lot more land (over one billion acres). But deforestation creates additional problems including erosion, reduced carbon sequestering by trees and loss of wildlife. Plus, food security is threatened by war and the more frequent severe storms caused by climate change. So how will we feed all these people?

Algae to the rescue! The cultivation of algae doesn’t require freshwater. It doesn’t require land. And it doesn’t require fertilizer. All it needs is ocean water and light. The production of seaweed (the common name for many species of algae) was a $40 billion business in 2020 and could skyrocket to $95 billion by 2027.

Like plants on land, algae uses photosynthesis to grow, converting energy from the sun and carbon dioxide from the ocean into new plant material. But it grows much faster than land plants because it’s suspended in water and doesn’t need structural material for support. Some species of kelp can grown as fast as three feet per day!

Algae has already been used for hundreds of years in cuisines around the world, in items such as Japanese sushi and Irish beer. Now, seaweed may be the next big health food. It’s full of protein, fiber, vitamins and micronutrients like iron. As the alternative meat market continues to grow, algae is likely to become a popular ingredient in bacon and burgers. The color pigment in red algae mimics the color of beef and many varieties of algae contain Omega-3 fatty acids to make food healthier. It’s supposedly much tastier than other plant-based meat substitutes, as well.

There are close to one million different species of algae, both macro (towering kelp forests and sargassum, which is frequently washed up on beaches) and micro (the phytoplankton at the base of the world’s marine food chains). Maine leads the U.S. in the production of macro seaweed and is expected to double its output in the next three years. There are some technical challenges in harvesting microalgae on a large scale, but scientists are working to find solutions. Either micro or macro, an algae-based burger or strip of bacon may soon be in your future.