– Seaweed and kelp are delicacies. I hope that in the future I will get a job that is about this, says Aurora S. Sand. She has behind her a year with Blått naturbruk at Flekkefjord upper secondary school. This summer she got a job at a farm. At school, she learned a lot about the brown, salty and nutritious plants in the sea. – It was very exciting. We collected seaweed and kelp and pickled and dried various species. It is a new and unfamiliar taste. It has a future ahead of it, she says. INCREASED STATUS: Will kelp get a bigger place among Norwegian eating habits? There is, in any case, one way to achieve the UN’s sustainability goals Photo: Institute of Marine Research Wanting a changed culture This week, seaweed took a small step closer to our food traditions. The government is proposing to change the rules so that these macroalgae can also be defined as seafood, and thus can also be marketed abroad. SEAFOOD: Aurora wants a better food culture for seafood here at home. Photo: Private – It’s absolutely great. I hope that it can lead to a better culture here at home for eating this seafood, says the 17-year-old. In the autumn, she will start the aquaculture course at Flekkefjord upper secondary school. – It is an enormous resource. Strange that more people have not seen this as food here at home, she says. . LITTLE USED: Seaweed and kelp are an underutilized resource in Norway, but now there may be momentum in the nascent industry. Photo: Janita Zenteno / Janita Zenteno Wants to get out into the world more easily And if the government gets its way, seaweed and kelp can have a completely different status than today. It can give momentum to an already growing industry. The proposed change could also lift these species under the umbrella of organizations such as the Norwegian Seafood Council and the Norwegian Fisheries and Aquaculture Industry’s research funding, FHF. NEW RULES: Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran wants to give seaweed and kelp the status of seafood. This opens the door for better marketing and support from the Norwegian Seafood Council. Photo: Lars-Bjørn Martinsen – For seaweed and kelp producers, it will mean that they get access to the equipment that the Seafood Council has with a strong professional environment, says Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran. Director for market insight and market access at the Norwegian Seafood Council Tom-Jørgen Gangsø says the way out into the world is getting easier. – It will also give access to the offices we have around the world and up to 20-30 international markets. – Lots of minerals and vitamins Federico Håland Gaeta works as a researcher in NIVA’s aquaculture section. He also teaches Aurora and other pupils in aquaculture in Flekkefjord. He believes the proposal from the government will strengthen and build up a larger professional environment in the field. And he is also concerned with what this can mean for the diet. NUTRITIONAL: Researcher and teacher Federico Håland Gaeta says seaweed and kelp have a lot of vitamins and minerals and can contribute to feeding more people in the future. Photo: Sverre Tønnessen / Private – Six grams of seaweed and kelp provide the same amount of vitamins and minerals as six fruits or 600 grams of vegetables. He further says that macroalgae used as food for humans will be an important contribution to achieving the UN’s goals for sustainability. Want increased use in Norway By changing the status of seaweed and kelp, the Norwegian authorities also want increased use in Norwegian households and in restaurants. At the Michelin restaurant Under in Lindesnes, this seafood is already an important part of the menu. Among other things, a dessert with sugar kelp and ice cream. CHEF AT UNDER: Head chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard at the Michelin-starred Under restaurant uses seaweed and kelp in a number of dishes. But he is unsure whether the delicacy will become common on Norwegian dining tables. Photo: Privat – We use it because it is an enormous resource and because it can actually taste very good, says head chef Nicolai Ellitsgaard. He is more uncertain whether seaweed and kelp will become common dishes on Norwegian dinner tables in the near future. – It will probably be a bit too demanding for people to achieve in a good way. But several companies now come with ready-made products such as salads with Nordic seaweed and kelp.
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Seaweed and kelp should become seafood – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
