Western consumers may be unfamiliar with eating seaweed outside of sushi or miso soup, but seaweed-flavored food and drink are set to be the next big superfood trend in Europe. New research from Mintel showed that food and drink product launches with seaweed flavors, including kombu, nori/laver, and wakame seaweed flavors, have increased by 147% in Europe between 2011 and 2015. This growth means Europe is now the second most innovative region globally when it comes to seaweed-flavored food and drink launches.

While the majority of seaweed-flavored food and drink products are currently launched in the Asia-Pacific region, accounting for 88% of global product launches between 2011 and 2015, Europe launched 7% of seaweed-flavored foods and drinks globally in this time, outpacing both North America (4%) and Latin America (1%).

“Seaweed has been a famous delicacy in many Asian countries for centuries, celebrated for its flavor and nourishing powers,” said Stephanie Mattucci, global food science analyst at Mintel. “While still somewhat niche in Europe, we believe that seaweed could become the next superfood. Due to its abundance in natural vitamins, minerals and plant-based protein, seaweed speaks to the growing quest for naturally functional foods and alternative protein sources in the West.”

The health benefits of seaweed seem to appeal to European consumers, as Mintel research indicated that more than half (58%) of German consumers have either tried or would like to try algae as a protein source, with similar agreement reported in the U.K. (44%).

Some 36% of U.K. consumers who use herbs, spices or seasonings agreed that ground, dried seaweed would be a good alternative to salt for flavoring meals or dishes. This could also be of interest to the European consumers keen to cut back on salt. Today, 32% of German, 42% of Spanish, 46% of French, 48% of Italian and 57% of Polish consumers said they are actively reducing their consumption of, or avoiding, salty foods.

“As consumer demand for low-salt products grows, food and drink offerings that reduce the intake of dietary sodium are increasingly popular,” Ms. Mattucci said. “Seaweed is not only a natural way to substitute salt, but also exhibits antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties which may lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure, or aid in digestion and weight management.”

Seaweed’s health halo presents a big opportunity for manufacturers in the West, especially in the snack category. Around one third of consumers in Italy (30%), Poland (36%) and Spain (37%) would like to see a wider variety of healthier snacks.

Consumer demand is mirrored in recent launch activity, as 37% of seaweed-flavored food and drink launches in Europe between 2011 and 2015 took place in the snack category, according to Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD). Other top categories for new product development in Europe include sauces and seasonings (12%), bakery (9%), and soup (8%).

However, Mintel research showed it’s important that these products are also tasty, as the majority of European snack consumers agree that taste is king: 56% of Italian, 57% of Spanish, 62% of French, 65% of Polish and seven out of ten (70%) German consumers agreed that flavor is more important than calorie content when indulging in a snack.

“The inherent health benefits in seaweed allow it to fit naturally into the healthy snack category,” said Ms. Mattucci. “But even though consumers’ interest in health-enhancing food continues to increase, seaweed snacks will need to deliver on flavor in order to be successful with Western consumers.”