Ocean's Balance Releases Mariner's Pasta Sauces

The seaweed innovator introduces premium pasta sauces made with sustainable Maine kelp.

BIDDEFORD, MAINE (JULY 12, 2021) Ocean’s Balance, an award-winning Maine company and innovator of edible seaweed products, announced that it is expanding beyond the Asian set with the introduction of its Mariner’s Pasta Sauces. Made with sustainably farmed and harvested seaweed from the Gulf of Maine, the premium sauces are available in traditional Marinara and spicy Arrabbiata flavors. The company touts the new products as ‘Comfort Food made with Superfood’. “Seaweed consumption continues to increase in the US thanks to its well-publicized use by celebrity chefs, its umami flavor, nutritional benefits and powerful sustainability story,” says CEO Mitch Lench. “But it can still be a leap for many people to eat seaweed, which is why we created a product that is comfortingly familiar to consumers and at the same time a healthier version of it.” Boasting a strong nutrition profile thanks to the inclusion of seaweed, the sauces are great sources of iodine, fiber, calcium, iron and potassium. They can be enjoyed in most diets, including plant-based and gluten free. And they contain no added sugar. The sauce flavors reflect consumer trends: while sales of pasta sauce increased overall by 22.6% in 2020 according to Nielsen, Arrabbiata is fastest growing pasta sauce flavor profile, with a 45.6% increase in sales, and Marinara the third fastest, increasing by 31.3%*. Lench is particularly proud of the taste of the sauces, saying that “the umami of the kelp marries beautifully with the tomatoes and other ingredients to create flavorful sauces that are knock-outs on pasta, pizza, seafood and eggs.” *Nielsen data: 52 weeks ending 11/28/2020

Seaweed’s health benefits are many, and are the reason it has been used in Asian cuisine for centuries. It contains potassium salts, which do not lead to high blood pressure like the sodium salts typically encountered in processed foods. It is a natural source of iodine, which is critical for good metabolic health. It contains beneficial antioxidants, Omega-3s, dietary fibers, and minerals. And it is low in calories, vegan and gluten free.

The sauces come in six-packs of 24oz recyclable glass jars, and have a suggested retail price of $7.99. The company also offers organic whole leaf seaweeds, organic seaweed flakes, a sesame seed blend seasoning line and award-winning kelp purée.

Seaweed is making news again!

Seaweed’s sustainability – a zero-input crop that needs no fresh water, no arable land, and no fertilizers to grow – has long been highlighted for its potential a new and less destructive way to feed the planet. Seaweed’s carbon and nitrogen sequestration which helps to reduce ocean acidification through its natural growing process is also widely vaunted. But a groundbreaking new study led by The Nature Conservancy and the University of New England shows that seaweed and shellfish farming are a “critical component of regenerative food production.” The study reported that greater numbers of fish and invertebrates, as well as a greater diversity of species, were observed on farm sites. It also highlighted for the first time the ability of aquaculture to help meet food demand while ensuring the health of our oceans. “The benefits identified in this study open an exciting conversation about how we might be able to better design…a food system that not only addresses the environmental impacts, but perhaps even supports the repair and recovery of degraded ecosystems…”, according to Heidi Alleway, Ph.D., Global Aquaculture Scientist at The Nature Conservancy. (Portland Press Herald, July 8, 2021)

About Ocean’s Balance

Ocean’s Balance produces innovative, edible products made from seaweed that is sustainably farmed and harvested in the pristine waters of the Gulf of Maine. We support coastal Maine communities by working with lobsterwomen to help them farm seaweed, which allows them to diversify their income, stay on the water using equipment they already have, and do what they love. For more information visit www.oceansbalance.com, Follow Ocean’s Balance on Facebook and Instagram. Retailers or food service buyers interested in ordering please email lscali@oceansbalance.com.

The seaweed innovator introduces premium pasta sauces made with sustainable Maine kelp.

BIDDEFORD, MAINE (JULY 12, 2021) Ocean’s Balance, an award-winning Maine company and innovator of edible seaweed products, announced that it is expanding beyond the Asian set with the introduction of its Mariner’s Pasta Sauces. Made with sustainably farmed and harvested seaweed from the Gulf of Maine, the premium sauces are available in traditional Marinara and spicy Arrabbiata flavors. The company touts the new products as ‘Comfort Food made with Superfood’. “Seaweed consumption continues to increase in the US thanks to its well-publicized use by celebrity chefs, its umami flavor, nutritional benefits and powerful sustainability story,” says CEO Mitch Lench. “But it can still be a leap for many people to eat seaweed, which is why we created a product that is comfortingly familiar to consumers and at the same time a healthier version of it.” Boasting a strong nutrition profile thanks to the inclusion of seaweed, the sauces are great sources of iodine, fiber, calcium, iron and potassium. They can be enjoyed in most diets, including plant-based and gluten free. And they contain no added sugar. The sauce flavors reflect consumer trends: while sales of pasta sauce increased overall by 22.6% in 2020 according to Nielsen, Arrabbiata is fastest growing pasta sauce flavor profile, with a 45.6% increase in sales, and Marinara the third fastest, increasing by 31.3%*. Lench is particularly proud of the taste of the sauces, saying that “the umami of the kelp marries beautifully with the tomatoes and other ingredients to create flavorful sauces that are knock-outs on pasta, pizza, seafood and eggs.” *Nielsen data: 52 weeks ending 11/28/2020

Seaweed’s health benefits are many, and are the reason it has been used in Asian cuisine for centuries. It contains potassium salts, which do not lead to high blood pressure like the sodium salts typically encountered in processed foods. It is a natural source of iodine, which is critical for good metabolic health. It contains beneficial antioxidants, Omega-3s, dietary fibers, and minerals. And it is low in calories, vegan and gluten free.

The sauces come in six-packs of 24oz recyclable glass jars, and have a suggested retail price of $7.99. The company also offers organic whole leaf seaweeds, organic seaweed flakes, a sesame seed blend seasoning line and award-winning kelp purée.

Seaweed is making news again!

Seaweed’s sustainability – a zero-input crop that needs no fresh water, no arable land, and no fertilizers to grow – has long been highlighted for its potential a new and less destructive way to feed the planet. Seaweed’s carbon and nitrogen sequestration which helps to reduce ocean acidification through its natural growing process is also widely vaunted. But a groundbreaking new study led by The Nature Conservancy and the University of New England shows that seaweed and shellfish farming are a “critical component of regenerative food production.” The study reported that greater numbers of fish and invertebrates, as well as a greater diversity of species, were observed on farm sites. It also highlighted for the first time the ability of aquaculture to help meet food demand while ensuring the health of our oceans. “The benefits identified in this study open an exciting conversation about how we might be able to better design…a food system that not only addresses the environmental impacts, but perhaps even supports the repair and recovery of degraded ecosystems…”, according to Heidi Alleway, Ph.D., Global Aquaculture Scientist at The Nature Conservancy. (Portland Press Herald, July 8, 2021)

About Ocean’s Balance

Ocean’s Balance produces innovative, edible products made from seaweed that is sustainably farmed and harvested in the pristine waters of the Gulf of Maine. We support coastal Maine communities by working with lobsterwomen to help them farm seaweed, which allows them to diversify their income, stay on the water using equipment they already have, and do what they love. For more information visit www.oceansbalance.com, Follow Ocean’s Balance on Facebook and Instagram. Retailers or food service buyers interested in ordering please email lscali@oceansbalance.com.