<h3>Transcript</h3>
Voice 1&nbsp;

Welcome to Spotlight. I&rsquo;m Anne Muir.

Voice 2&nbsp;

And I&rsquo;m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1&nbsp;

It is a clear day on an island in western Scotland. A man walks out into the water. Green plants float around him in the water. They look like long ropes. The man cuts off some of the green plants. He carries them back to land. He hangs them on a line to dry in the sun. This man is Iain Mckellar. He owns a company called Just Seaweed. He harvests the seaweed plants from the ocean. Then Mckellar puts the seaweed in packages. He sends it to restaurants and individuals. What will they use the seaweed for? Today&rsquo;s Spotlight is on uses for seaweed - now and in the future.

Voice 2&nbsp;

The world population is growing very quickly. Many people are concerned that the earth cannot produce enough food for everyone. So they are looking for food in new places. They want food crops that do not use too much land. But what food could people grow without too much cost? And without destroying the environment?

Voice 1&nbsp;

Some people believe they have found the answer in the ocean. They think that we should eat more seaweed! Iain Mckellar from Scotland is one of these people. He explains on his website what seaweed is and how it grows:

Voice 3&nbsp;

&ldquo;Seaweeds are plants that live in seawater. They do not have roots. They feed from the water around them. Some seaweed can grow very fast: up to two feet in a day under the right conditions. Some kinds can live for 20 years. Seaweeds are sometimes called kelp, sea vegetables, wrack, sea algae or marine algae. There are three main types: red, brown and green. Some are 30 feet long. Others are only a few inches. Each kind has its own special feeling and taste.&rdquo;

Voice 2&nbsp;

People eat seaweed in many places in the world. For example, seaweed is a common food in the country of Japan. Japan is made up of many islands. So the Japanese diet includes a lot of sea animals <em>and</em> sea vegetables. Many people in Japan eat seaweed every day. An example is a famous Japanese soup called dashi. People boil a sea vegetable called kombu in water. This soup can be mixed with many things to make a healthy meal.

Voice 1&nbsp;

Eating seaweed is not a new idea. People have used seaweed as part of a traditional diet for thousands of years. An Irish saint named Colomba lived over one thousand four hundred years ago. He wrote a poem about a red seaweed called dulse. People in ancient Ireland and Scotland ate dulse with breakfast grains.

Voice 2&nbsp;

Some cooks also use seaweed instead of salt. Too much salt may have bad effects on a person&rsquo;s body. But seaweed grows in salt water. So it can provide a salty taste that is healthy. Iain Mckellar explains some other good reasons to eat seaweed:

Voice 3&nbsp;

&ldquo;Fresh sea vegetables are some of the healthiest kinds of food. They are rich in many vitamins and iodine. They also contain more iron than red meat and more calcium than cheese. In the future, people could eat sea vegetables instead of animals for protein and vitamins.&rdquo;

Voice 1&nbsp;

People may grow and eat more seaweed in the future. Experts say that seaweeds have many advantages over land plants. They do not need fresh water to grow. They also do not grow on land. This means that they will not use resources that people need to grow other crops. And people will not need to cut down forests to grow seaweed. Sea vegetables do not take any space needed for other plants and animals.

Voice 2

But seaweed is not only a possible <em>food</em> for the future. Scientists are continuing to discover other uses for it. When seaweed is in hot water it creates a soft solid. It can make liquids thicker. So seaweed thickens some foods, like ice cream. It is also used in products like lotions that people spread on their skin. Some people even wash their bodies with it. They believe it will heal skin problems.

Voice 1&nbsp;

Seaweed could also be important in protecting the environment. Traditionally, farmers in coastal areas put seaweed on the soil. Seaweed adds minerals that made the soil healthy. Then other crops, such as vegetables, grow better. And scientists are discovering an exciting new use for seaweed &ndash; fuel. When it is growing, seaweed cleans the air and water. This makes it a very good source of biofuel &ndash; fuel made from plants. It removes pollution while it grows, and it burns more cleanly than traditional fuels. Professor Avigdor Abelson is an expert in renewable energy at Tel Aviv University. He told the news site Science Daily:

Voice 4&nbsp;

&ldquo;By using many different kinds of seaweed, we can turn waste into useful resources such as biofuel. At the same time, we will be reducing pollution&#39;s impact on the local ecosystem.&rdquo;

Voice 2&nbsp;

There are many good uses for seaweed. But there are also some problems. One is that there are no global rules for harvesting it. In the United Kingdom, there are laws about seaweed harvesting. Government agencies make sure that people like Iain Mckeller harvest the seaweed correctly. But in many places, there are no regulations. This means that there is no way to know how clean the seaweed is. Mckeller explains to the Telegraph newspaper why this can be a problem:

Voice 3&nbsp;

&ldquo;Seaweed pulls pollution into itself. It is even put into polluted areas of water to help clean it. If you are going to eat it, the seaweed must have grown in a very clean environment.&rdquo;

Voice 1&nbsp;

But some people are not willing to try seaweed - even when they know that the seaweed is clean. They think it may taste bad. John Quigley is a cook and owner of a famous restaurant in Glasgow, Scotland. He cooks seaweed in his restaurant. Quigley tells the news website The Scotsman about his experience:

Voice 5&nbsp;

"There are so many uses for sea vegetables. The problem is I do not think a lot of people see beyond the fact that it is a sea vegetable. They see it comes out of the sea and it is slimy. That is the problem."

Voice 2&nbsp;

Have you eaten seaweed? Do you think it is a good food for the future of the planet? Leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at <a href="mailto:radio@radioenglish.net">radio@radioenglish.net</a>. You can also find us on <a href="http://facebook.com/spotlightradio">Facebook</a> - just search for spotlightradio.

Voice 1&nbsp;

The writer of this program was Rena Dam. The producer was Luke Haley. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at <a href="http://radioenglish.net">www.radioenglish.net</a>. This program is called, &lsquo;Eating Vegetables from the Sea.&rsquo;

Voice 2&nbsp;

We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.



Question:
Is seaweed a part of your diet? Do you enjoy the taste of it?


