‘Our last great natural renewable resource’: Could seaweed save the world?

‘Our last great natural renewable resource’: Could seaweed save the world?

Seaweed has slithered into our lives surreptitiously. The closest we might think we get to it is when ordering nori-wrapped sushi. Asked if we'd like to eat more of it, we might recoil.

In reality, however, we probably consume seaweed during most meals. Itemised on ingredients lists as agar, alginates, carrageenan or simply as a “stabiliser and emulsifier”, seaweed extracts are a mainstay of the food industry.