Described as seaweed in an astonishingly tagliatelle-like disguise, I Sea Pasta has just been introduced into the UK by Seamore.
The seaweed is harvested off the west coast of Ireland in Connemara and is simply dried and packaged. After soaking for a short time and cooking for 15-20 minutes it can be used as traditional pasta or in salads, quiches, curries and soups. 20g of dried ‘pasta’ makes 100g of cooked.
I Sea Pasta is gluten-free, vegan-friendly and paleo. Packed with nutrients, antioxidants and minerals, the cooked seaweed pasta is low calorie, containing just 38 calories per 100g.
The 100% wild and organic seaweed is completely sustainable, with no more than 15% of the crop harvested at one time.
Commenting on the UK launch, brand founder Willem Sodderland said: “Although we expected UK to be open to healthy, sustainable food, we’ve still been surprised by the speed with which the UK has embraced I Sea Pasta. Consumers have been very eager to try and most of them loved the experience. Many told us they have been actively looking for pasta alternatives and said it wasn’t easy. They praised I Sea Pasta’s texture and neutral taste. Many of the people we talked to are also openly curious about seaweed as a new and exciting source of tasty and healthy food, more so than for instance in The Netherlands or Germany. This could explain the great enthusiasm for a pasta alternative from 100% seaweed.
“Finally, we see the 50% lower pricing compared to other seaweed alternatives is key for people to consider using I Sea Pasta as a staple food. Retailers, chefs and food bloggers are all confirming the major food trends we see in other countries: more veggies, vegan, paleo, less gluten and carbs, more organic food. Last but not least we noticed a growing interest in the sustainability of food. Uptake in retail has been equally fast.”
