Seaweed is a term used to refer to numerous species of marine algae and plant, which grow in water bodies such as oceans, lakes, and rivers. Some of them are microscopic, like the phytoplankton while others are enormous such as the giant kelp. However, most of them are medium seized, and they come in red, brown, green, and black color. Seaweeds are cultivated and used for different purposes that range from food to industrial application to fertilizer. Edible seaweeds have for a long time been consumed in maritime countries particular the coastal population in different parts of the world. According to Brownlee et al., 2012, seaweed, today composes a good percentage of the habitual diet of substantial Asian nations. One of the leading producers of seaweed products is the Irish. As citizens of an island, they are encompassed by these rich natural resources of the sea. According to Seaweed.ie, 2015, there is a large under-utilization of sea vegetables food resources. For hundreds of years, maritime countries have collected seaweed as a form of food and for medicinal purpose. Today, these countries include the United Kingdom, Japan, Ireland, China as well as Southeast Asia amongst others. In the US, most of the food and animal products are restricted; hence, there is no much seaweed production pressure.
A Short History of See Weed as Human Food
For many years, brown seaweed has been a key diet component for the Japanese. They use it in soups as well as an additive to alter the palate of other meals in addition to using it as a wrap for the popular combination of raw fish and rice, Shushi. Moreover, seaweed has been consumed as a staple human diet in Asian countries since prehistoric times. Currently, there are over twenty-one species of seaweed consumed in Japan out of which, six have been in consumption from the eighth-century. Until recently, kombu, nori, wakame and specifically, kaiso accounted for not less than ten-percent of the Japanese seaweed diet. By 1973, the Japanese seaweed consumption increased by 20% over ten years to reach an average of 3.5 kilograms per household ( Meland, & Rebours, 2012 ). In Ireland, it is presumed that 3 to 6 tonnes of seaweed food products are produced and consumed on an annual basis. Its consumption of palatable seaweed, particularly the Irish moss dates back to 1880s. At the time, boiled in either water or milk, the Irish moss was used as a traditional Irish treatment for lung and chest diseases. In Wales, a seaweed known as laver (Porphyra) has been in consumption since 1600 AD. Moreover, it is still in commercial production today for both Wales and international market.
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The Ireland Seaweed Market
Currently, seaweed is a rapidly growing venture in Ireland. The weed is used for numerous application such as in cosmetic products as well as in food. According to Maritime Institute of Ireland, 2016, the Irish seaweed industry’s value is expected to increase from its 18 million pounds value in 2006 to 30 million pounds in 2020 on an annual basis. The cultured seaweed significantly drives this expansion. However, there is need to maximize on Ireland’s current wild resources. According to Griffin,2015 , there is an ongoing investigation to introduce mechanical harvesting of seaweed. This is a welcomed move as it opens up new development opportunities like functional foods. Over the years, Ireland consumers have increasingly appreciated seaweed’s nutritional and health benefits. According to Siggins, 2014, the cultivation of seaweed in Ireland has the potential of providing up to one-hundred jobs in the south-west and west coasts, with an additional eighty to one-hundred jobs in processing.
Global Seaweed Food Demand
The increase in demand for palatable seaweed products in China and Japan, as well as other markets, indicate numerous signs of slackening despite the rising living standards. In the foreseeable future, the tastes and traditions acquired from seaweed will primarily maintain their consumption at high rates in these nations. Following the special significance of seaweed’s role in eastern communities’ diet, more than often it is asked whether seaweed can contribute significantly to human nutrition in other sections of the globe. These possibilities are best considered under seaweed’s nutritional value, cost-competitiveness as well as their tastes and acceptability ( Nayar, & Bott, 2014) . A significant number of seaweeds contain high carbohydrates percentages but very low fats, which makes them ineffective sources of energy. However, their unmatched nutritional values lie in their composition of numerous minerals, trace elements, and vitamins. Seaweed’s food value varies according to species. For instance, the Japanese nori (Porphyra) has a high protein content, mineral salts, and vitamins out of which three-quarters of them are digestible. In addition, other palatable weeds such as wakame (dried Undaria) and kombu (Laminaria) have a lower protein content of 12% and 6% respectively. As such, certain seaweeds have enormous nutritional values as much as protein and vitamins are concerned. In addition, numerous studies have reported the positive response of seaweed consumption in undernourished and sick people compared to healthy people. This creates a potential consumption of seaweed food products in regions with malnutrition cases. However, poor digestibility of significant seaweeds limits they utilization in human nutrition compared to food supplements. In addition, the cost of producing seaweed food products is quite expensive. Consequently, the geographically broader consumption of seaweed food products seems unlikely on the bases of consumer acceptance and cost. As such, the demand of seaweed food products in the foreseeable future even though substantial and growing, will certainly remain in the current leading consumption areas where it is a tradition ( Nayar, & Bott, 2014) .
Global Seaweed Market Trends
According to Grand View Research report, the global commercial market for seaweed products was estimated to be USD 10.31 billion as of 2015, and it is anticipated that it will hit USD 22.13 billion by 2024. The red-seaweed accounted for 52.5 percent of the 2015’s total market revenue while liquid seaweed products accounted for 52.0% of the same. Human consumption accounted for 81% of the total revenue most of which was dominated by the Asia Pacific. Today, seaweed farming is a worldwide business. Currently, the annual global market value of cultivated seaweed for human feeding is approximated to be six billion pounds. Most of these markets are dominated by Japan and China ( Nayar, & Bott, 2014) .
Focus Group Report
More often than not, research is conducted to answer unanswered questions as well as create new knowledge and awareness that does not exist at present. In this study, there is clear lack of consumer information for the seaweed food products range for they are new products. These consist of seaweed soup, seaweed and fruit smoothie, seaweed pesto and dried seaweed for adding to food during cooking. As such, the research topic was “A market study of new seaweed product consumption in a given focus group.” The research was conducted use of a questionnaire. A survey on the performance of retail and restaurants sales of seaweed products of this study. Given that seaweed consumption is a traditional culture in Ireland, an Irish focus group was selected. The questionnaire designed for the study comprised of 21 questions, each selected to gather particular data from the focus group. The questions addressed different topics all of which were connected to the research topic, for instance, respondent’s age, their geographical location, demographics as we, as respondents reactions towards the products. The research objective was to establish the knowledge of the respondents, future potential use of seaweed products, the gender and age of the respondents, demographics, their attitude towards health, the nutritional habits as well as their average weekly spending on seaweed products.
Data collection
This market research was evaluated by use of primary data collected from actual retail stores and restaurants sales of the seaweed range products. Since the data was not available before the research, the data on sales was collected over a three-week period. On the other hand, the survey data was gathered over a two-week period. The primary data was collected by use of both physical and electronic questionnaires that were posted in SurveyMonkey tool and Facebook.
The Findings
In regards to the above the new seaweed products, it was established that most consumers and potential consumers were female above the age of 35. Most of them cited physical, health and nutritional benefits as the reason they would purchase the new seaweed products. The research also established that a significant demand is likely to be in Ireland where consumption of seaweed products is already established. Moreover, the most likely product to be purchased by the focus group was seaweed soup and seaweed and fruit smoothie, with most of them willing to spend over USD 20 on the products. The same results were replicated for the global market although in smaller percentages. However, the future looks promising as the awareness of seaweed products is on the rise.
The Questionnaire
What your Gender?
Female
Male
Country of residence?
Ireland
UK
USA
Japan
Other (kindly specify)
If current dwelling in Ireland, what province do you reside?
Ulster
Munster
Leinster
Connaught
Others (Kindly specify)
Do you reside in a coastal region?
Yes
No
Can living in coastal area influence your consumption of seaweed products?
Yes
No
Do you consume nutritional supplements?
Yes
No
What are your top three priorities in purchasing nutritional products? (tick three boxes)
Health Benefit
Quality
Cost
Value
Innovation
Others (Kindly specify)
On an average day, how many snacks and meals include a choice of healthy options?
1
2
3
4
Other (Kindly clarify)
How important is the healthy diet for you?
Extremely imperative
Very imperative
Moderately imperative
Slightly imperative
Not imperative at all
Have you taken seaweed products before?
Yes
No
Are you aware of the following benefits of seaweed products? (Tick the ones you know)
Natural and no preservatives.
Gives nutritional and physical benefits.
Enhances brain function.
Contains high content of protein and vitamins.
Reduces sugar and salt content in baked products.
Improves self-life of food products
Others (Kindly Specify)
Recent research states that consumption of seaweed products reduces calorific intake. What is your reaction to this finding?
Very negative
Somewhat negative
Somewhat positive
Very positive
Scientifically, taking seaweed and exercising results in weight loss. What is your immediate reaction to this statement?
Very negative
Somewhat negative
Somewhat positive
Very positive
Would you like to take seaweed soup?
Yes
No
Would you like to take seaweed and fruit smoothie?
Yes
No
Would you like to use seaweed pesto?
Yes
No
Would you like to use dried seaweed paste in your cooking?
Yes
No
Among the above products, which two would strongly demand? (Tick two boxes)
Seaweed soup
Seaweed and fruit smoothie
Seaweed pesto
Dried seaweed paste
How likely would you purchase the above seaweed products?
Extremely unlikely
Slightly likely
Very likely
Extremely likely
On weekly bases, how much do you spend on food supplements?
USD 0.00-USD 5.00
USD 5.00-USD 10.00
USD 10.00-USD 15.00
USD 15.00-USD 20.00
Above USD 20.00
How old are you?
18 to 23
24 to 33
34 to 43
44 to 53
54 to 63
64 or older
References
Brownlee, I., Fairclough, A., Hall, A., & Paxman, J. (2012). The potential health benefits of seaweed and seaweed extract.
Delaney, A., Frangoudes, K., & Ii, S. A. (2016). Society and seaweed: understanding the past and present. In Seaweed in Health and Disease Prevention (pp. 7-40).
Griffin, J. A. (2015). An Investigative Study into the Beneficial Use of Seaweed in Bread and the Broader Food Industry.
Institute, M. (2018). Sea Change: A Marine Knowledge, Research and Innovation Strategy for Ireland 2007-2013 Part 2 . Oar.marine.ie . Retrieved 10 April 2018, from https://oar.marine.ie/handle/10793/70
Meland, M., & Rebours, C. (2012). The Japanese seaweed industry.
Nayar, S., & Bott, K. (2014). Current status of global cultivated seaweed production and markets. World Aquac , 45 , 32-37.
Seaweed.ie: The Irish seaweed industry . (2018). Seaweed.ie . Retrieved 10 April 2018, from http://seaweed.ie/uses_ireland/index.php
Siggins, L. (2014). Seaweed farming potentially worth €10m a year, says report. The Irish Times . Retrieved from https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/seaweed-farming-potentially-worth-10m-a-year-says-report-1.2005805
