Food and Hospital: Soon, Algae-Based Recipes?
Ah, algae! The underdog of the culinary world, often overlooked, yet here we are in 2024 with a proposal that might just push seaweed into the limelight… or at least into the soup! Yes, the “PROMALG-Health” project, masterminded by the University of Bretagne Sud (UBS) and the University of Western Brittany (UBO), is pioneering seaweed-based recipes aimed at providing healthy, sustainable, and dare I say, delicious meals for hospitals and nursing homes. And when I say “delicious,” I mean the kind of “delicious” that doesn’t require a fine dining establishment – because, let’s face it, nursing homes often feel like the cafeteria at a particularly uninspired school.
Seaweed: An Alternative to Meat
Imagine a world where the elderly aren’t just surviving on the same dull meat and two veg, but instead are feasting on algae-rich meals that pack a protein punch! With malnutrition being as common as bad jokes at my stand-up gigs, introducing algae into diets could be the culinary superhero we’ve been waiting for. A few twists of the sea’s green gifts into soups and starters could satisfy nutritional requirements and even comply with those pesky climate and resilience laws. Finally, a dish that feels as great as a post-show standing ovation!
An Experiment at Brest University Hospital
At the Brest University Hospital, the culinary crew will be putting their taste buds—and cooking skills—to the test by experimenting with seaweed in every conceivable way. Here’s hoping they’ll master the art of disguising those slippery greens into exquisite dishes. The big question is: will seaweed become the next avocado toast or just another forgotten fad like low-fat cheese? Only time (and taste tests) will tell! It’s all about turning the perception of algae into something edible and even, whisper it, desirable. Who knew tackling nutritional deficiencies could also turn into a culinary revelation?
In Partnership with a Breton Company
Collaboration is key, and the CHU (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire) is teaming up with Breton company Bord à Bord to transform edible seaweed into gourmet experiences. They’re not just stopping at soups; desserts with algae are reportedly on the horizon. I can’t wait for algae-flavored chocolate mousse! Now that’s a dinner conversation starter. And it’s all local too—props to France Haliotis for growing these green gems in Plouguerneau, reducing the environmental footprint, all while keeping it as local as your dodgy fish-and-chip shop.
Selected “France 2030”
This ambitious algae initiative isn’t just about pushing boundaries for hospital cuisine; it’s also been handpicked for the prestigious France 2030 plan. With a budget of €7.7 million (yes, you read that right), the backing is as solid as a French cheese! It’s a multi-partner effort, and it seems everyone is keen to get a slice of the seaweed pie. Let’s just hope they’re sharing the recipe.
Work Meeting in Vannes
In October 2024, teams from this initiative came together for a meeting in Vannes, and let’s be honest, no good meeting ever lacked a cooking workshop! With aprons on and creativity unleashed, the participants took a page out of “Chopped” to whip up some algae-based dishes. They had the brains, but did they have the taste buds to match? This project is about more than just food; it’s a global mission to promote well-being, sustainability, and palate expansion. Imagine someone saying, “This algae is to die for!” – I can almost hear the applause!
So, will algae soon be the culinary star of hospitals and nursing homes? Only time will tell if this seaweed venture sinks or swims. But let’s just say—if it manages to turn hospital food into something you’d actually want to eat, it could spark a revolution in menus everywhere! Cheers to that, and may your next hospital visit feature the finest algae it has to offer!
Food and hospital: soon algae-based recipes? Recipes based on algae for healthy, sustainable and delicious food in hospitals and nursing homes: this is the innovative and eco-responsible initiative of the “PROMALG-Health” project co-led by the University of Bretagne Sud ( UBS) and the University of Western Brittany (UBO).
Launched in 2024, the project teams are thinking about the food of tomorrow and experimenting with the production and then the incorporation of algae in recipes intended for patients hospitalized or residing in EHPADs and suffering from nutritional deficiencies.
Seaweed: an alternative to meat
On a daily basis, hospitals have observed that many people, and particularly the elderly, suffer from malnutrition, requiring a sufficient intake of protein in their diet. As algae are rich in proteins, incorporating them into recipes is of great nutritional benefit for these malnourished patients. This approach also allows the Brest University Hospital to respond to the directives of the Egalim law and the Climate and resilience law, inviting collective catering establishments to expand the sources of protein offered in their meals but also to move in the direction of its catering offer completely redesigned with the objective of sustainable development and CSR since 2019.
An experiment at Brest University Hospital
The well-being of patients and residents is therefore at the heart of this offer, with recipes that provide both gustatory pleasure to patients and residents, while being nutritionally and environmentally interesting. The Brest University Hospital Catering team will therefore test different ways of incorporating seaweed into its dishes, by playing with materials, colors, flavors and taste associations. The objective is then to evaluate how these recipes are appreciated by consumers and to target the levers of acceptability making seaweed a pleasure food.
In partnership with a Breton company
The CHU will work with the Breton company Bord à Bord specializing in the manufacture of products based on edible algae, which will guide it in the development of algae recipes that are both tasty and meet the nutritional needs defined by the staff. health of the hospital. Seaweed can thus be integrated into soups, starters, side dishes, or even desserts. The algae are grown locally by the company France Haliotis, in Plouguerneau, in Finistère in order to reduce as much as possible the environmental impact of the production sector in the use of local resources or in the production, transport and distribution processes. consumption.
Selected “France 2030”
This project is co-led by the Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Chemistry (LBCM) from the University of Bretagne Sud (UBS), and the Western Economics and Management Laboratory (LEGO) from the University of Western Brittany (UBO) and supported by 9 partners: LEMAR, IRDL, NoMeCan, PNCA, ST, Actalia, France Haliotis, Algues Services, CHU de Brest.
This program, which mobilizes scientists from UBS, is part of the very selective list of projects supported by France2030.
In total, the project budget is increased to €7.7 million over the period 2024 – 2028.
Work meeting in Vannes
After a launch in April 2024 in Brest, the teams met, in #COPIL 2, on October 22 and 23, 2024 at UBS on the Vannes campus to discuss the progress of their work.
Alongside the scientific workshops and plenary sessions, participants also put on aprons to take part in a culinary workshop like no other.
With the help of Lucie, founder of Ti Bezhin The Seaweed Workshop they tried their hand at algae-based recipes. A way to involve all the members of this program, whatever their expertise, in this project which goes from sea to plate.
