You’ll Eat The Algae And You’ll Be Happy

You’re roaming the grocery store, innocently trying to find quality ingredients or pre-made products to pick up and bring home, and everywhere you turn you’re bombarded with plant-based proteins. They’re in the meat case, they’re stealthily hiding among real dairy, they’re in frozen meals and snacks, they’re even in the jerky and snack aisles, taunting you with the assertion that imitation products are the way of the future.

You’ve heard of Beyond Meat and Impossible Meat. Then, there’s mung-bean based JustEgg or fungi-based Nature’s Fynd. You probably saw that the FDA recently approved lab-grown meat for human consumption. You also probably know that the global elites like those from the World Economic Forum want you to eat the bugs and be happy about it, but were you aware that algae is your hottest, new alt-protein to pick out in the grocery aisles? Oh, and take one guess as to who already has a big share in it…

Let’s Break Down Algae-Based Aquaculture

Macroalgae, also known as seaweed, and microalgae are considered under-exploited “crops” that researchers believe could combat nutritional needs and ease our planet’s increasingly limited fresh water and arable land resources. Because they don’t compete for real estate with your traditional food crops like corn, wheat, beans, and legumes, or green leafy veg, the market for developing algae-based food products has boomed. If society continues to accept plant-based alternatives for the meat and dairy they rely on for nourishment, the global algae protein market is poised to outcompete the other products seeking to revolutionize the way we eat.

Already, the algae protein market in America may surpass a $290 million regional valuation soon, with Europe and Asia Pacific potentially surpassing $250 million regional valuations respectively as well. Investors see value in algae as a protein substitute because of how much more protein is concentrated in a serving than traditional alt-sources and because they’re naturally abundant in vitamins and minerals.

Got any thoughts on fava beans and algae oil being combined to compete with your favorite companion to your morning lattés, genuine dairy milk? Update Foods thinks it might have the “perfect vegan milk” that harnesses algae to taste, look, and have the same mouthfeel as milk at around the same price point.

Would you eat algae-based chicken? Naka Foods is developing a plant-based chicken substitute from spirulina (algae), jackfruit, and chickpeas. How about algae-based shrimp? New Wave Foods recently secured $18 million in funding for substitute shrimp that will supposedly have “virtually indistinguishable” texture and taste. 

It doesn’t end there for seafood. Vivera is offering algae-based, cost-effective salmon filets, Leonardo DiCaprio-baked Wildtype has secured over $120 million for its sashimi substitutes, and Current Foods is championing fake smoked salmon.

“This is seafood made from plants that you can eat every day and in every chapter of life – no mercury, no microplastics, no pregnancy restrictions, no planetary strain, and no compromises on taste, texture, or nutritional density,” said Current Foods Vice President Adrienne Han in an interview with VegNews.

If the right species of seaweed and microalgae are used by product developers, the plant-based substitutes could contain protein levels competitive with eggs, milk, soybeans, and meat. That said, some research has shown that this seemingly comparable protein content is overestimated.

Aside from their use as a potential protein substitute, algae and microalgae boast major nutritional benefits. Spirulina – which I’m sure you’ve had blended into your smoothie bowls before – is known for its anti-hyperglycaemic and anti-hypertension properties, and is packed full of beta-carotene and gamma linolenic acids. Another one is chlorella, which researchers think can reduce pregnancy-related high blood pressure, boost antibody count, encourage weight loss, and fight disease.

Algae Actually Isn’t a Perfect Replacement for Meat

Though there are murmurs that algae substitutes could provide essential protein and nutrient needs to a growing population, it’s worth pointing out a few critical flaws with algal protein. Firstly, algal protein has poor digestibility and bioavailability when raw and unprocessed. Harvesters and manufacturers are still ironing out viable ways to scale production because the current methods to isolate algal protein are expensive and time-consuming.

Frankly, researchers aren’t quite sure how well algae protein would work in our human metabolism over time. Humankind has been relying on animal-based sources for so long that our digestive system and regular bodily functions rely on familiar foods to stay regular. 

It’s also really worth pointing out that, while algae work wonders for accumulating vitamins and minerals, they also notoriously gather toxic materials like heavy metals. Alongside heavy metal toxicity, there are risks for exposure to inorganic arsenic, which can lead to cancers, excessive levels of bromine which can cause nerve and DNA damage, and all the meanwhile, “relatively little” has been published addressing allergies. This means that, if scaled for mainstream production, algae protein would have to be grown as far away from big cities as possible to reduce any potential exposure to pollutants.

While algae accumulate vitamins and minerals, they also notoriously gather toxic materials like heavy metals.

“Depending on how the microalgae is grown, it is possible for it to be contaminated with toxins which can cause liver and nervous system damage,” cautions one registered dietitian Jenna Gorham.

Let’s Take a Look at Who Is Funding These Projects

We’re all too familiar with repeat investors like Bill Gates who appear to bankroll alternative protein startups one after the other. In his eyes, these projects will help protect us from climate doom and create a more sustainable process than animal agriculture.

The sources that alt-protein startups intend to release to the mainstream get weirder than just things like algae. Gates helped bring in $80 million funding for Nature’s Fynd, which takes fungi from the geothermal springs in Yellowstone and turns them into a biomass fermented protein. The product is called Fy and is a rare example of an animal-free complete source of protein.

Gates has helped move the needle on Impossible Foods to the tune of $50 million, Nobell Foods (stretchy soy cheese) to the tune of $75 million, and Upside Foods (cell-based chicken, beef, and duck) to the tune of $400 million. It’s unsurprising then that Gates recently granted funds for algal protein research at Washington State University, spirulina-growing companies in Bangladesh known as EnerGaia, and worst of all, Solazyme.

Though Gates is not the only backer of Solazyme (as is the case with all of these alt-protein startups), he’s certainly one of the most high-profile endorsers of their product. Make no mistake, however, Solazyme isn’t all it’s cut out to be. First, they made cooking oils out of algae. Their high oil content was so effective that the company moved into biofuel. Yes, the stuff that machinery operates on. Solazyme then started making protein powders and now wants to make animal protein competitors that are supposedly healthier for the environment and the consumer, despite being made from genetically modified bacteria with poor nutritional content.

To match investors’ fake meat fervor, President Joe Biden recently issued an Executive Order in September on “Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy.” Though the EO doesn’t directly address fake meat and dairy, it mentions goals to “improve food security and sustainability.” In a later statement during a press conference, a senior staffer from the Biden Administration shared a little inkling further into their train of thought.

“Living factories – cells – and biomass can be used to make almost anything that we use in our day-to-day lives, from medicines to fuels to plastics. And this allows the U.S. to leverage innovation – this innovation – to strengthen our economy and society,” said the staffer.

One thing that appears to happen time and time again is that alt-meat and milk brands fall short of their lofty claims years after being pushed into the marketplace. Remember when Impossible Foods insisted that their fake meat emits 89% fewer greenhouse gas emissions and requires 96% less land and 87% less water than real meat? Well, fake meat has been found to have a larger carbon footprint than plant-based swaps like pulses and beans. What’s more, researchers have recently found that the long-term environmental impact of meat made in a lab is even purported to be worse than the long-term environmental impact of livestock. Gates himself even previously admitted that the environmental benefits of lab-grown meats are “sketchy at best.”

Fake meat and dairy have also been called out for their nutritional deficiencies. Lab-grown milk made to replace breastmilk by the brand BioMila lacks the unique hormones and bacteria from the mother’s own biome and doesn’t have antibodies. So despite big players like Gates funneling more and more money into fake meat and dairy projects, many brands are experiencing turbulence: price cuts to be made more affordable, lawsuits over safety standards and misleading marketing, and tanking in the stock market.

Nevertheless, alt-protein would appear to be hotter than ever with endless new options in grocery aisles. Celebrities are even getting in on the action. Actor Ashton Kutcher placed an investment in food tech company MeaTech 3D last October, a 3D-printed cultured beef product that they tout as “clean Meat.”

It’s one thing to just invest in the products and profit from their growth in the market, but other celebrities are using their influence on digital platforms to promote fake meat products. Look no further than Kim Kardashian, who, according to her recent advertisement campaign with Beyond Meat, believes so much in the mission that she stepped in to help with her greatest asset: her taste. 

The advertisement was widely criticized, however, as Kardashian appears to not even take a bite of the food she claims to be “amazingly delicious.” Leave it to the elite class to profit from products that we’re the test subjects on…and not even participate in the trials.

Closing Thoughts

So is algae-based aquaculture actually our best bet for meeting nutritional needs while reducing the ecological footprint that our current food production practices are guilty of? With the extent of research out there now, it doesn’t look like algal proteins are a great swap when we really could just be bettering our agriculture practices. To get algae and microalgae into a complete protein, you don’t just harvest a product and place it on the market. 

As is the case with the petri-dish protein market, these food alternatives pull us further away from the foods that nourished our ancestors and helped us evolve to where we are now. The elites don’t mince words either – it’s their firm intention to push our diets into bizarre, unknown territories. Don't believe me? Take it straight from Bill Gates himself, who said, “I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef. You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time.” For me? I’ll take the real, bleeding beef.

Don’t miss anything! Sign up for our weekly newsletter and get curated content weekly!