In their publication “Food algae : a promising market », published in March 2024, Échos Études analysts provide a complete overview of the sector, decipher the growth opportunities for the agri-food industry and the challenges to be met to develop this market in Europe.
Faced with numerous demographic and environmental challenges, algae appears to be a food of the future with many benefits. Seaweed cultivation is one of the most sustainable crops in the world, algae needing no fertilizer, nor fresh water, nor pesticide. otherwise, algae captures carbon, fight against ocean acidification and play an important role in preserving biodiversity. In terms of human nutrition, seaweed is rich in fiber, in micronutrients and are a source of protein. They are considered healthy and low-calorie foods, which offer many health benefits.
A traditional food in Asia
The potential of algae (macroalgae and microalgae)are considerable, but the industry in Europe is still in its infancy, compared to Asia, where the consumption of seaweed has been part of the daily diet for centuries. Today, Asia dominates global algae production with 97% of volumes, 99% of production comes from seaweed farming. In Europe, despite the will of the European institutions, production remains very small and seaweed farming only represents 4% of volumes. In this context, France, second in Europe behind Norway, has playing cards. It has an ecosystem already made up of researchers, industrialists and start-ups and has, otherwise, of the first natural algae field in Europe, located off the coast of Finistère.
Huge potential to be exploited
To change scale, several challenges will have to be met : support research in a field where there are still enormous fields of study to explore, change regulations that are ill-suited to the sector or even encourage better consumption learning (familiarity with taste, the texture, knowledge of different species and their properties, recipes…).
