Seaweed is “one of the world’s most sustainable and nutritious corps. it absorbs dissolved nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon dioxide directly from the sea- its footprints is negative- and proliferates at a terrific rate” says Dana Goodyear. Because of its abundance in supply and its benefits to people, entrepreneurs, scientists, and farmers are hoping to make seaweed the next big thing, and the future of the human diet.

Bren Smith, the owner of Thimble Island Oyster Company and a pioneer of vertical aquaculture, believes the shift for Americans to tend towards seaweed can be very similar to that of kale. While Americans might be strange to the flavor and texture of seaweed, people can be taught to love the stuff. Smith is convinced that kelp is the new kale, and has already set plans for kelp smoothies, etc.

Seaweed is, of course, a regular diet of several East Asian countries, with farms producing tons of kelp, nori and jijiki to its market. However, there is an already emerging market for seaweed snacks in the U.S. Sales of seaweed snack are growing by 30 percent annually, with 2014 sales reaching $500 million.

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Like Budweiser who has already sponsored various breweries, General Mills is better positioning themselves for the future by funding food start-ups. Cereal-maker General Mills has seen their market shares shrink as consumers’ tastes change. General Mills has announced changes in their products like ridding GMOs and artificial coloring. However, General Mills has courted to new partnerships to better their future market shares.

The company has previously paid $820 million to acquire popular natural-food makers Annie’s. General Mills also has a stake in producers Beyond Meat. These acquisitions and investments will continue through a new venture-capital arm called 301 Inc. The company will start to invest in smaller-scale, more innovative food start-ups.

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