SEADLING’s Insights from SuperZoo

SEADLING's Insights from SuperZoo

SuperZoo in Las Vegas highlighted a clear shift in pet food: consumers are looking for ways to boost the bowl without the cost of moving into super-premium diets. For formulators, that means finding ingredients that deliver more nutrition and functionality without adding unnecessary complexity or cost.

But one of the most interesting shifts was in how the industry is thinking about seaweed.

The conversation is becoming more sophisticated. Rather than treating seaweed as one broad ingredient category, more formulators are asking about species, nutritional profiles, and specific functional benefits.

And that matters because species is everything.

Different seaweeds have different nutritional and functional properties, making them suited to different applications. Just as broccoli and cucumber are both nutritious but behave very differently in a formulation, seaweeds are not interchangeable.

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Green Juju lists our ingredient as “Fermented Seaweed Meal.”

At SEADLING, we focus on Kappaphycus, a fast-growing red seaweed with characteristics that differ significantly from the brown seaweeds traditionally associated with the category.

Through fermentation, we unlock additional functional and nutritional value, creating ingredients that can contribute:

  • Natural Vitamin K2 (MK-7)
  • Prebiotic oligosaccharides
  • Essential and trace minerals
  • Functional binding properties
  • Palatability benefits
  • An alternative to conventional gums and binders

For formulators, the opportunity goes beyond simply adding seaweed. It is about selecting the right species for the right purpose and using science and processing to unlock its potential.

The conversations at SuperZoo made one thing clear: the future of seaweed in pet food is becoming more precise, more functional, and more purpose-driven.

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Earth Animal lists our ingredient as "Dried Seaweed Meal"

At SEADLING, that is exactly where we see the opportunity—to move seaweed from a basic ingredient to a versatile functional platform for the next generation of pet nutrition.

Want to hear more about how we got here?

Read our founder’s journey on LinkedIn and discover the story behind SEADLING’s approach to unlocking the potential of seaweed.

Read our founder’s journey on LinkedIn

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