Seaweed Solutions : Exploring the Potential for Expanding Business Applications in the European Food Industry

Abstract

In Europe, seaweed is often viewed as pollution, despite its potential benefits for various sectors, particularly the food industry. This thesis addresses the research question: How can seaweed be more widely adopted as a food ingredient in the European food indus-try? To answer this, three research objectives are pursued: analysing the current state of the seaweed-based food market in Europe, evaluating market enablers and inhibi-tors, resulting from a structured literature review, through a PESTEL analysis, and de-veloping recommendations for the industry's future. The research reveals that Europe has a small seaweed industry relying heavily on wild harvesting. Norway, France, and Ireland lead European production, but Asia dominates global supply. There is a diverse range of companies and products on the market, but seaweed is not used as a main protein source in foods. The PESTEL analysis identifies key enablers such as growing entrepreneurial interest, EU support, and beneficial food trends, while inhibitors include regulatory challenges, technological gaps, and negative consumer perceptions. Rec-ommendations for expanding seaweed use in the European food industry involve fos-tering cooperation among businesses, innovating seaweed-based food products, target-ing premium markets, continuing research and development, and optimizing resource use. The outlook for the seaweed-based food industry in Europe is positive, with poten-tial growth in related sectors like feed, fertilizers, bioplastics, cosmetics, and pharma-ceuticals. However, consumer acceptance remains critical.