Introduced: June 2022

Distribution: National

Suggested Retail Price: $5.25

Product Snapshot: The executives behind food strategy consultancy company Changing Tastes announced the launch of Sea & Flour and its line of baked goods including bread, buns, and rolls. The products were debuted at the UN Ocean Conference this week in Lisbon, Portugal.

Sea & Flour products are the first of their kind and are carb-positive and carbon-negative. As such, they help address climate change and expand regenerative coastal agriculture and the blue economy, while also improving the nutritional value of bread, one of America's most commonly eaten foods.

"We found that by making incremental changes to one of the world's best-loved and most frequently eaten foods, we could turn bread into a solution to some of our most pressing health and environmental problems," said Sea & Flour CEO, Arlin Wasserman, who is also the founder and managing director of Changing Tastes. "Over two years of R&D, we developed a way to process sea plants so they can be blended with common grains and flours in the commercial baking process. And the timing is ideal with consumer interest in plant-based eating and seaweed, specifically, primed to explode."

Consumer research conducted by Changing Tastes in January found that 32% of American adult consumers ate seaweed in the past month. Eighteen percent said they want to eat more of it within the next year, and 25% of those who had never tried seaweed wanted to do so.

"Your typical bread products may taste delicious, but they often lack nutritional value," said Sea & Flour President Penelope Wasserman, who is also a member of the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation's Ambassadors Leadership Council. "Osteoporosis and hypertension are two of the most common chronic diseases plaguing Americans today. Sea vegetables help keep our bones strong and are a rich source of Vitamin K and calcium, which help prevent bone loss. Sea & Flour products help consumers get more out of what they're already eating, adding rich health benefits while also being better for the Earth."

Sea & Flour products support healthy bone development and maintenance by making calcium more bioavailable by pairing it with Vitamins K and D. They also feature a clean-ingredient label and contain less sodium and fewer calories than some other bread products.

Sea & Flour is now working to expand financing and manufacturing capacity to meet already strong early demand, including a national launch with a U.S. grocery retailer planned for this fall. Philadelphia-based Afina International, which specializes in agriculture, food and water technology, is acting as strategic partner in financing and developing the launch strategy.

"Afina is focused on companies which solve the climate change-nutrition security paradox, and Sea & Flour is taking leadership in this critical sector," said David Godfrey-Thomas, CEO of Afina International.

For more information or to get in touch, visit www.seaandflour.com.