NOVAFOODIES aims to provide consumers with new functional, diversified, and traceable products of marine and freshwater origin, produced using more sustainable processes but without compromising sectoral competitiveness. Innovative approaches, targeting critical value chain points, will be upscaled.

At AWI, macroalgae will beproduced and optimized to develop sustainable and degradable packaging for “to-go”and “convenience” food industry. In collaboration with the Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences and Nordsee GmbH, the work was validated in an interdisciplinary project at an experimental scale in the national project Mak-Pak, where macroalgae suitable for processing and native to the North Atlantic and the North Sea were screened, and the growth and ingredients yield optimised. The Mak-Pak2 project attempted up-scaling the concept to TRL5. Within NOVAFOODIES, this will reach TRL7, producing 1500 kg/year of seaweed in a land-based, recirculating cultivation system. Production of the packaging using seaweed biomass will be contracted to the company Pulp-Tec, who is currently a partner in the Mak-Pak2 project.