Indonesia grows an enormous amount of seaweed, yet most of it leaves the country as dried raw material for processors abroad. Very little of the value — and very little of the seaweed itself — stays on Indonesian tables. For the coastal families who farm it, that means depending on a single export market and its price swings.
GEMARI SEHAT — Gerakan Makan Rumput Laut Indonesia “Sehat Berserat”, the Indonesian healthy, high-fibre seaweed eating movement — was an attempt to change that from the demand side.
What GEMARI SEHAT set out to do
The movement was launched at Mall Ratu Indah in Makassar on 29–31 October 2010, with support from the provincial government of South Sulawesi. Its message was simple: seaweed is a natural, high-fibre food, and eating more of it is good for households and for the coastal communities that grow it.
- Promote seaweed as a healthy food — naturally rich in fibre and free of chemical additives.
- Show what seaweed can become — processed in traditional and industrial ways into ready-to-eat food.
- Build a domestic market — a broader, more efficient market network that gives farmers more certainty than exports alone.
- Create work — processing close to the farms, generating jobs and income in coastal areas.
Why domestic demand matters to farmers
A farmer who can sell to only one kind of buyer has little bargaining power. When local processors, food businesses and consumers also want seaweed, prices become more stable and more of the value stays in the region. Processing locally also creates jobs for people who do not farm — often women and young people in the same villages.
Lessons for food brands and distributors
For companies looking at seaweed-based food products, the movement pointed to three things that still hold:
- Lead with health, not novelty. Fibre and natural origin are the messages that resonated with consumers.
- Familiar formats sell. Seaweed works best when it appears in foods people already eat — desserts, drinks, snacks and everyday dishes.
- Quality starts at the farm. Food applications need clean, well-handled seaweed, which means working with organised farmer groups rather than anonymous markets.
Frequently asked questions
Is seaweed a good source of fibre?
Yes. Red seaweed is naturally rich in dietary fibre, which is why GEMARI SEHAT promoted it as a healthy, high-fibre everyday food.
What kinds of food can seaweed be used in?
Seaweed and seaweed extracts appear in desserts, jellies, drinks, snacks and everyday dishes, as well as in processed foods where they act as thickeners and gelling agents.
Can food companies source directly from farmer groups?
Yes — working with organised farmer groups gives food companies better control over cleanliness and handling than buying on the open market.
Kospermindo’s role
Kospermindo — Koperasi Serikat Pekerja Merdeka Indonesia — has supported seaweed farmer groups in South and Central Sulawesi since 2002. Building demand for seaweed as food is part of the same goal as our work on the water: a fairer, more reliable income for the families who farm it.
Read more about seaweed products and our history, or contact us if you are developing seaweed-based food products.