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Summary of our market study
The French seaweed processing industry is estimated at over €125 million.
The global seaweed market, estimated at $800m, is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 7%.
Asia dominates production with over 90%, while Europe contributes only 1%.
France is Europe's second-largest producer, with around 70,000 tonnes a year.
Trends in the French seaweed market
Seaweed has a high protein content, averaging around 20% and reaching up to 70% in certain varieties such as spirulina.
Seaweed has a wide range of applications in food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and biofuels.
Seaweed-based products are no longer confined to traditional Asian cuisines, but are also being incorporated into Western products such as tartars and infused oils.
Many preparations incorporating seaweed are aimed at flexatians and vegans. Some 24% of the country's population, i.e. between 15 and 20 million people, follow a flexitarian diet, and almost a million of them opt for a meat-free diet.
Seaweed is often used in the composition of dietary supplements, with consumption growing by almost 40% between 2017 and 2021.
While wild seaweed cultivation predominates, France aims to support seaweed farming through its 2022-2027 aquaculture plan, with the intention of tripling production by 2027.
The cost of cultivated algae remains high, almost 100 times higher than that of wild algae.
Seaweed market players
- Cyanotech
Specializing in the cultivation and production of microalgae for food supplements, Cyanotech has positioned itself as a leader in spirulina- and astaxanthin-based products.
- Far East Microalga Industry
With its expertise in microalgae cultivation, Far East Microalga Industry meets the growing demand for dietary supplements.
- Algenol Biotech
Algenol Biotech explores the potential of algae not only as a food source, but also as a sustainable biofuel.
- Euglena Co
Euglena Co. has made a name for itself as a biotech company specializing in the production of Euglena, a microalgae with potential for both the health food industry and the renewable biofuels sector.
- Cargill
Cargill has integrated seaweed into its extensive portfolio. It offers a range of hydrocolloid products derived from seaweed that are used in food, pharmaceutical and industrial applications, demonstrating the versatility of seaweed uses.
- Roquette
A pioneer in plant-derived ingredients, Roquette has entered the field of seaweed for applications in health, nutrition and cosmetics.
- Sun Chlorella
Sun Chlorella, which focuses on chlorella, a nutrient-rich microalgae, has made considerable progress in offering top-quality dietary supplements.
- Cellana Cellana,
The company has embarked on the production of renewable fuels, animal feed and omega-3 nutritional oils from microalgae.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of study
Consumed for centuries in Asia, seaweed is gradually making its way into the European diet. In terms of volume, 74% of seaweed consumption is for human consumption, but it is also used in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, and more marginally as a biofuel. Macroalgae (with sea lettuce in first place) make up the majority of the market, followed by microalgae used increasingly as dietary supplements (spirulina, chlorella).
The seaweed market is booming, particularly in countries previously reluctant to consume this type of food, with growth set to continue at 6.9% per year until 2030. Production is still largely in Asia (over 90% of world production, compared with 1% in Europe).
Although France is the 2nd largest producer in Europe after Norway, it remains a small consumer, mainly of micro-algae as a food supplement. Microalgae production is supported by a number of leading companies in the sector in Europe: Algae, whose sales have increased 4-fold over the last decade; AlgaWell and GreenSea, as well as more local companies (Bord à Bord and Marinoë in Brittany).
The trend is upward for this still-under-exploited foodstuff, thanks to its therapeutic benefits (notably for cardiovascular disease) and its advantages for vegetarian and vegan diets. Seaweed is rich in protein and low in calories (around 20% protein on average, and up to 70% in the case of spirulina), making up for the intake normally provided by foods of animal origin.
1.2 The global algae market
The global seaweed market was worth $*** million in ****, for ** million tonnes of harvested seaweed, and is expected to grow at an average annual rate of *.*% to reach $*,***.* million in **** .[***].
Growth of the global algae market over the period ****-**** (***) World, ****-****, in millions of dollars
The vast majority of algae production ...
1.3 The national seaweed market
With a production of around **,*** to **,*** tonnes of seaweed per year, France is the seventh largest seaweed producer in the world, and the second largest seaweed producer in Europe behind Norway (***). This makes France the leading producer of seaweed in the European Union. [***].
In France, more than **% of seaweed cultivation takes ...
1.4 Over-reliance on imports
Imported seaweed can be divided into two customs code categories: code ****** for seaweed suitable for human consumption, and code ****** for seaweed unsuitable for human consumption, i.e. intended solely for the processing industry.
From this, we can use the UN Comtrade database to observe France's trade balance in this sector.
In ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 Strong demand from processing industries
**% of gelling and thickening agents on the market are seaweed-based: **% carrageenans, **% agars and **% alginates[***]. They are marketed as food additives: E***, E*** and E*** respectively, and are used both in the food industry (***).
Three seaweed extracts make up **% of the epai
The use of seaweed in the Frenchcosmetics industry is a ...
2.2 Protein-rich plants for the diet
Feeding a growing population with limited space is one of the most important challenges of the coming decades. The oceans, which make up **% of our planet, appear to be one of the ways of meeting the growing demand for food, whereas today only *% of our food comes from them. [***]
The consumption ...
2.3 Seaweed in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals: a niche market.
Seaweed is used in many ways in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries: as excipients, active ingredients and additives.
In France, ** types of algae are authorized for cosmetic use[***]. Although the incorporation of algae in this industry has been going on since the ****s, companies' quest for innovation in order to stand ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Structuring the seaweed industry
Below is a simplified value chain for the French algae market:
Source: ****
Seaweed is produced from wild seaweed or by seaweed farming. In the first case, seaweed is harvested offshore by boat or on the shore at low tide. Wild cultivation is the preferred method in France, due to the wealth ...
3.2 Mostly wild seaweed production
Of the just over **,*** tonnes of algae produced annually in France, almost all come from wild seaweed cultivation, with seaweed farming accounting for just *** tonnes by ****. Let's take a look at the specific characteristics of each[***].
Breakdown of seaweed production by cultivation method in France (***) France, ****, in Source: wild cultivation:
Wild ...
3.3 Algae distribution
There are several online sites specializing in the distribution of edible seaweed. They are sold in their pure processed forms (***).
Here are a few examples of specialized online sites: Algues-Alimentaires, Neptune éléments, Algues armoriques et Le quotidien au naturel, Pourdebon, La Paysanne Des Mers.
All these specialized sites emphasize the ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Cultured seaweed is a hundred times more expensive than wild seaweed
In ****, the price of cultivated seaweed will be a hundred times higher than that of wild seaweed: *,*** euros per tonne of cultivated seaweed versus ** euros per tonne of wild seaweed [***].
Difference in seaweed prices according to harvesting methods (***) France, ****, in euros Source: ****
This price difference is explained by a growing demand ...
4.2 Seaweed in all its forms
The range of edible algae
The most widespread types of seaweed for food consumption in raw form are : Wakame, Nori, Sea Spaghetti, Royal Kombu, Dulce, Sea Lettuce. These are all macro-algae.
The edible seaweeds we find most frequently in supermarkets are dehydrated leaves (***), seaweed tartars and spirulina powder.
We're going to ...
4.3 Seaweed at the heart of innovation
Innovations in food
In October ****, start-up Zalg won the SIAL Paris innovation prize for its pan-fried seaweed, marking its ambition to "put seaweed at the heart of the plate", until then marketed mainly as condiments (***). Algama, which raised ** million euros in January ****[***].
In April ****, Edonia, a French startup founded in ****, raised ...
5 Regulations
5.1 Current regulations
French regulations on algae production cover :
Authorized seaweed species The quality of the water in which the algae are grown (***)
Currently, ** types of algae are authorized for human consumption (***) No. ***/** of the European Parliament and of the Council [***]. Other algae are only authorized for use in food supplements.
The list of ...
5.2 France bets on algoculture
France is adopting a national strategy to encourage the development of seaweed farming over the period ****-**** through its Aquaculture Plan ****-****. The goal is to triple algae production by ****. [***].
The main stages of this plan are
Administrative simplification Drafting sanitary standards Supporting Research & Innovation in the sector Promoting the economic ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Positioning the players
We can segment the players in the seaweed market into producers and processors, according to the following non-exhaustive list:
- Technature
- L'Oréal Groupe
- Estée Lauder
- Olmix
- Biocean
- JRS Marine Products
- Algaia (JRS group)
- Algama
- Eranova
- Algopack
- Cyanotech
- AlgaWell
- Gilbert Groupe
- Lessonia
- France Haliotis
- Vinpai
- Inalve
- Zalg
List of charts presented in this market study
- Growth in the global algae market
- Breakdown of demand for algae in France
- Composition of gelling and thickening agents on the market
- Volume of on-board seaweed fishing between 2018 and 2022
- Distribution of algae produced by algoculture in France in 2022
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Latest news
Vinpai, green chemistry specialist, grows despite a difficult environment - 17/07/2024
- Sales in 2023: 8 million euros
Vinpai, the green ingredients specialist, is in India - 14/06/2024
- Vinpai location: Saint-Dolay, Morbihan
- - Business sector: algae and plant-based functional ingredients for the food and cosmetics industries
- - Partnership: with Indian company Enhance Gourmet Foods, based in Pune, Maharashtra
- - Partnership objective: to supply plant-based ingredients integrated into Enhance finished products
- - Vegan products developed: mozzarella, cheddar, butter, crème fraîche
- - Growth in 2023: 27%
- - Sales in 2023: nearly 8 million euros
- - Export share of sales: over half - Financial target for 2025: sales volume of 16 million euros
How L'Oréal's AI helps you look your best - 31/05/2024
- - The "Beauty Genius" app: Scheduled to launch in the US in autumn, then in France.
- - Using AI for beauty diagnostics
- - Since acquiring ModiFace in 2018, L'Oréal has launched a skin diagnosis based on a selfie.
- - Over 100 million uses of diagnostic tools in one year.
- - Investment in technology and AI: 1 billion euros.
- - Creation of the L'Oréal GPT for its 90,000 employees
Beauty: Estée Lauder cautious about 2024 - 02/05/2024
- - Acquisition of Tom Ford for $2.3 billion
- - Double-digit growth in Clinique sales, across all geographic regions
Behind the glamour, L'Oréal's massive investments in its French factories - 01/05/2024
- - 38 L'Oréal plants worldwide.
- - 11 plants located in France, employing 3,000 of the country's 15,000 employees.
- - 500 million euros invested by L'Oréal over the last five years in its French industrial base.
- - French production accounts for 25% of L'Oréal's worldwide production volume, 80% of which is destined for export.
- - The Caudry (Nord) plant is one of L'Oréal's largest, with 500 employees and 97% of production supplied to international markets.
- - 7,000 new products launched each year by L'Oréal.
- - Prada skincare products and Ralph Lauren fragrances manufactured in France since their integration into L'Oréal in 2019.
- - 100% of L'Oréal group fragrances are made in France.
Inalve grows microalgae using less water and energy - 30/03/2024
- - Inalve raised €4.7 million in mid-March.
- - Founded in 2016, the company aims to be "the leader in biofilm-based microalgae production". -
- Currently, Inalve's production is around one tonne of "dry equivalent".
- - Inalve is now focusing on feeding farmed fish rather than farm animals.
- - The number of employees is expected to rise from 12 to 20 in the coming months.
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The seaweed market | France
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