Plenty at stake in seaweed feed trial

The world’s first steaks from seaweed-fed cattle were served up during National Science Week last month, through an online cooking demonstration by celebrity chef Matt Moran.

Australian innovator FutureFeed was behind what has been spruiked as lower-emission beef.

Cattle were fed asparagopsis, a red seaweed that naturally prevents the formation of methane by inhibiting a specific enzyme in the gut of the livestock during digestion, reportedly lowering emissions by more than 80 per cent.

FutureFeed chief executive Regan Crooks said the production of the steaks marked a moment in the quest to create lower-methane meat, and the solution was now ready for the beef feedlot market.

“These steaks represent the launch of the technology for the feedlot market and we are anticipating many more steaks on plates in Australia and around the world that are certified by FutureFeed,” he said.

“The science proves the safety and efficacy, and we now look to the licensed seaweed growers making incredible progress locally and globally for what we anticipate being rapidly increasing supply.”

To show how the steaks handled the heat, Mr Moran gave a small group of at-home chefs a rare opportunity to join him for a virtual cooking class.

“It is so important that people not only understand the origins of the food on their plates but the impact cultivating that food has on our planet,” he said.

Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions account for about 1 per cent of the world’s total emissions, but per capita emissions are the 12th largest in the world after the United States.