Shopper shares image of concerning products for sale at local store: 'Seems so unnecessary'

Diet food is known for its small portion sizes and low calories. But past a certain point, it might be better to not eat anything at all. One shopper was disturbed by the discovery of seaweed in 20-calorie portion sizes that were individually wrapped in plastic.

What's happening?

The original poster shared their complaint on r/Anticonsumption. "These seaweed packages weigh like 10x more than the four pieces of seaweed inside," they said, sharing a photo of the product in a grocery store aisle.

The item in question was a Gimme Seaweed grab-and-go snack. The packages come in various flavors and proudly proclaim that each single-serve pouch holds a mere 20 calories' worth of food.

Why is the small serving size important?

One might be tempted to think fewer calories are better. But many consumers forget that in most cases, fewer calories mean less nutrition or, more simply put, less food.

Gimme's gimmick with this product seems to be selling a minuscule amount of food in a full-size package.

"First time I've seen such small packages of seaweed," the original poster said. "Seems so unnecessary and the advertised '20 calories' in the corner of each pack — what is 20 calories of anything doing for anyone? If you crushed this seaweed in your hand, it would equal like a teaspoon of actual sustenance."

Given how little food this is, it's a waste of money at almost any price. It's also a waste of plastic, which drives up the price, creates unnecessary trash for the buyer to deal with, and leads to litter and microplastic pollution.

Is Gimme Seaweed doing anything about this?

Gimme prides itself on being an organic food brand that is good for the environment since it uses no polluting chemicals and requires no freshwater reserves to grow its products. According to a 2024 news release, it was the first seaweed snack brand to eliminate plastic trays from its packaging, and it is working with rePurpose Global to intercept ocean-bound plastic trash in some parts of the world where seaweed is popular.

However, it does still use a significant amount of plastic, so there is room for improvement.

What can I do about plastic waste?

As always, the No. 1 way to reduce plastic waste in the environment is to choose plastic-free brands. That may not be an option when it comes to seaweed, so instead, choose a larger package and divide it into smaller portions using reusable containers.

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