Rack, J. (2015, August 11). Protein Goes Green: Can Algae Become The Next Soy? NPR. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/08/11/429985941/protein-goes-green-can-algae-become-the-next-soy

After companies found that people are eating less mess, they discovered that algae could be an alternative source of protein. While plant proteins such as soy, peas and beans are all on the market, algae offers addition benefits because it contains more nutrients such as fiber, vitamins and minerals. The company Solazyme has experimented with microalgae and found that it can be produced in only a few days. Another company, Allma, has already received positive customer feedback on their algae-based products. The major issue with using algae as protein is that it is expensive and requires a lot of water.

In today’s society, producing protein requires a lot of land, either for grazing livestock or growing plants such as soybeans. As a result, an alterative plant protein that requires less land is appealing. Even though it is expensive and requires quite a bit of water, I think this may be a more sustainable than the alternatives because it does not destroy land or add to global warming. I find it ironic that as humans, we hate having algae in ponds and lakes and other bodies of water; but now, companies are producing and selling it.