CJ CheilJedang moves seaweed farming onto land as oceans warm

CJ CheilJedang is moving seaweed farming out of the ocean and onto the dry land as sea temperatures rise following global warming.

CJ CheilJedang will break ground on a commercial land-based seaweed farm in Cheonan, South Chungcheong in August, the food company said Monday. 

The farm, slated to complete its construction in the first half of 2027, will be producing seaweed that will be sold under the Bibigo brand to customers in Korea and around the world. 

The company has continuously worked to pioneer land-based seaweed farming technology starting in 2018. It succeeded in cultivating seaweed in a 3-ton tank in 2021 and developed the country's first seaweed variety bred specifically for land farming in 2022, completing the patent registration in the first half of this year.

The new facility will allow seaweed production all year, whereas seaweeds were traditionally only harvested in the winter. 

The patented variety is more productive, more efficient and more tolerant of temperature swings than ocean-farmed strains, the company says. Rising sea temperatures due to global warming has made ocean farming less predictable. 

The land-based seaweed farming also helps the company better react to the increased demand in Korean seaweed, or gim, around the world. 

"This facility will serve as a key testbed for applying the land-based cultivation technology accumulated over the past decade to industrial sites and will become an outpost opening the sustainable future of K-Food," Adam Ricciardone, Chief Technology Officer of CJ Foods R&D said. 

"We plan to further accelerate commercialization so that domestic and international consumers can enjoy fresh and tasty Bibigo kim all four seasons."

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]