The Dutch Weed Burger!

Now here is a company we can get behind! The Dutch Weed Burger is a company in the Netherlands that serves vegetarian fast food with a twist. They infuse their creations with macro and micro algae, and their menu sounds creatively delicious.

The company manifesto reads, “Welcome to the House of Seaweed, a place where everybody prospers and everybody wins. Where we live and let live. Because our food is grown, not born. We bring the fun back in fundamentalism by serving you guilt-free pleasures. This is the new paradigm: 100% plant-based, 100% delicious. Be an agent of change and choose plants on your plate, as often as you can. For the animals. For the planet.”

Here are some of their menu options that use algae. Click the link and check it our for yourself, they look amazing.

The burger - The patty is made with royal kombu and soya chips, while the bun is loaded with the micro-alga Chlorella.

Weed Balls - A variety of mushrooms seasoned with kelp flakes, breaded and fried.

Sea nuggets - Balls of mixed beans and micro-algae, crunchy on the outside while soft inside.

Weed dog - An incredible looking hot dog enriched with kombu flakes and a green algae mustard sauce.

This is a genius business model. Fast-healthy, good for the body good for the planet while also creating unique flavors that are completely absent in the competition.

Seaweed takes the number one spot on Martha Stewart's top 5 food trends

Martha Stewart’s magazine featured an article on forecasting the top 5 food trends. Taking the number one spot was seaweed!

The article talks about the Summer Fancy Food Show held last year. At the show seaweed was on full display. Maine-based seaweed company Ocean’s Balance made a splash by rolling out two new products: jarred kelp purée and Japanese inspired seaweed sprinkles, which can be used as a savory topping for everything from rice to toast.

Shortly after the Summer Fancy Food Show, Oceans Balance received a $100,000 prize for its edible seaweed products. The award comes from “Greenlight Maine,” a T.V. show that promotes small businesses and startups in the region.

Seaweeds are gaining the attention of chefs, restaurants, and entrepreneurs around the country. It’s no wonder why it came up as the number one food trend.

Food & Wine predicts seaweed to be one of the biggest food trends of 2019!

An article from Wood & Wine, listed their top 11 predictions for 2019. Each listed item was foretasted by a renowned chef. The predictions include everything from restaurant style, phone usage, and food.

Number 6 on the list is KELP! Marc Murphy, executive chef and owner of Benchmarc Restaurants, cookbook author, and Chopped judge, predicts you will start seeing more and more seaweed on menus. Murphy mentions, it’s a good sustainable option for diners and oceans.

If you are interested in the other predictions from 2019, read the full article here

How will we feed 9.6 billion people in 2050? The solution is within the ocean

The population is estimated to reach 9.6 billion by 2050. The FAO has reported that mankind will need to produce 70% more food than it did in 2009. Agriculture has had over a hundred years of industrialization to surpass global food supply expectations. Yet, we have become a population dependent on GMO mono-crop culture. With agriculture already at it’s maximum efficiency, where will the extra 70% of food come from?

While the land has had tremendous science and technologies invested in crop cultivation, we are still essentially hunting in the oceans. The oceans make up 70% of the earth surface and we have yet to realize it’s full potential in attaining food security.

Here is a recent article in Quartz about the future of ocean farming