About our Nori - Nutrition Facts, Certifications, Safety, Allergens
Welcome to RawNori.com!
Our mission is to offer the cleanest, safest, healthiest YUMMYest Nori on the planet! We are proud to have been shipping our nori worldwide for over 10 years!
We know food quality and safety is important to our customers and it is why we are even here! It all started when our founders were struggling to find an organic, raw nori sheet for their own use and could not find anything acceptable on the market. We are happy to be able to offer what we think is the best quality raw nori in the world. It's literally our name!
Our Raw Organic Nori is:
- Certified Organic by USDA & Bioagricert
- Izumi Brand Nori is Certified Kosher By Orthodox Union
- NON-GMO Certified
- RAW - UN-Toasted Never Cooked, our nori is dried at low temparature
- SINGLE SOURCE - we KNOW where our nori is grown!
- VEGAN - extensive system in place to ensure no sea life makes it into our sheets
- Radiation and Contaminant Free - tested in the USA.
- FREE of most common allergens such as Gluten, Nuts, Seeds
- High in Raw Nutrients!
- Best Source of Natural Iodine
- Package has a Zipper Lock Seal to reseal and retain Freshness
CERTIFIED ORGANIC & CONTAMINANT FREE
Our product is USDA Certified Organic by bioagricert as well as Kosher Certified by Orthodox Union. In addition we also test at a independent Laboratory here in the U.S. for more then 450 potential contaminants including pesticide residues and heavy metals, as well as many different Isotopes of Radiation. Out Nori has come out 100 percent "Non Detectable" in every single category. Our Nori is free from Irradiation. Sewage Sludge and excluded methods such as genetic engineering are never used in any phase of the production or handling of the Nori. Other, Non-Organic nori production may rely on chemicals and sewage sludge for growing since there are no strict rules for non organic farming.
Our seaweed (species: Porphyra Yezoensis) is wild grown in an open ocean environment in 4000 acres of certified organic growing waters. Organic certified waters are free from chemicals involved in standard farming such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers. It is harvested, salt water rinsed, then fresh water rinsed multiple times, chopped, pressed and dried naturally into sheets in a temperature and humidity controlled facility. To ensure top food safety practices the facility has many certifications that monitor the food storage, handling, and packaging aspects of the process. These are internationally recognized safety management certifications from the top food oversight organizations in the world. Here are some of the certifications in place:
Organic certified by USDA / bioagricert
Kosher certified by Orthodox Union with the OU symbol on package
BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety
UKAS Product Certification
IFS Food Safety Certification
ANSI Accredited
CQC Food Safety Management System Certification GB/T 22000-2006/ISO 22000:2005 / GB/T27304-2008
INET Quality Management System Certification GB/T 19001-2016/ ISO 9001:2015
Coliforms Testing with National Food Safety Standard GB 4789.3-2016
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SINGLE SOURCE
Our Nori Non GMO, is obtained solely from its single plant source = species: Porphyra Yezoensis, and is 100% said ingredient. Lesser nori products can be a mix of various seaweeds grown in various origins pressed into a "nori" sheet... In our sheets there are no additional ingredients, additives or processing aids used in production. The nori is washed multiple times with fresh water only, no chemicals.
In Addition:
- This Product is Not produced using Sodium (Chilean) Nitrate
- This Product is Not derived from animals
- This Product is Not made from hydroponic/aeropunic production.
- This Product has Not been subject to any genetic engineering
- This Product is 100% said ingredient (Porphyra Yezoensis) Dried Seaweed “Nori” not a mix of lesser grade seaweeds.
RAW
Due to the process in which the seaweed is cleaned and dried our nori is a RAW FOOD. It is dried at low temperature, essentially “dehydrated" rather than roasting in ovens that is done for most nori sheets. The main way to tell a raw sheet is the color. Raw nori will have a darker more purple color which is the natural color of the seaweed. The seaweed species (Porphyra Yezoensis) is a purple algae. Only when roasted (cooked) does nori get its “usual” color of shiny green that most people associate with nori they’ve seen at a sushi restaurant. Most roasted nori is of lesser grade species and can even be multiple species of seaweed mixed together all with different and possibly unknown origins… once toasted it all amalgamates into a shiny green sheet, so no one is the wiser! All of our Nori is grown in a single 4000 acre location of organic certified waters. It goes straight from the growing site to a single processing & packaging facility and then leaves that facility sealed in the package you receive. It is a very simple and straight forward supply chain, there are no unknowns in where the source nori comes from or what has happened to it along the way. The packaging facility has many food safety certifications from various internationally recognized organizations. Such as BRCGS, UKAS and IFS.
VEGAN
There is an extensive program in place to Test the seaweed during production for any shellfish or crustacean contamination as a part of the Orthodox Union Kosher Program which has a "zero" tolerance. The Nori is harvested and rinsed in salt water, then is hand sorted and rinsed in filtered fresh water multiple times. Once the Nori is pressed and dried into sheets they are passed through an electronic machine that uses light to detect any possible shellfish or crustacean presence on the sheets and will automatically sort out any potential or problem sheets. This is done with every production run.
A batch of Nori Powder tested at a lab here in California for presence of Crustacean Contamination came up as "Non Detectable" at less than 1 part per million
TOP QUALITY
We use only 1 species (Porphyra Yezoensis) in ALL of our Nori production. This species is in the Red/Purple Algae family and considered the Highest in Nutrition. ALL of our Nori Sheets, Flakes, and Powder are all made from Porphyra Yezoensis and only the top 15 to 20 percent of each Harvest makes our grade for item production.
ALLERGEN FREE
Our Nori is processed in an Organic Certified Facility that is Allergen Free. The facility does NOT process or handle any of the following ingredients:
- Peanut or its derivatives, e.g., Peanut - pieces, protein, oil, butter, flour, and mandelona nuts (an almond flavoured peanut product) etc. Peanut may also be known as ground nut.
- Tree Nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts(filberts), macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts (pinyon, pinon), pistachios and walnuts or their derivatives, e.g., nut butters and oils etc.
- Sesame or its derivatives, e.g., paste and oil etc.
- Milk or its derivatives, e.g., milk caseinate, whey and yogurt powder etc.
- Eggs or its derivatives, e.g., frozen yolk, egg white powder and egg protein isolates etc.
- Fish or its derivatives, e.g., fish protein, oil and extracts etc.
- Soy or its derivatives, e.g., lecithin, oil, tofu and protein isolates etc
- Wheat, triticale or their derivatives, e.g., flour, starches and brans etc. Includes other wheat varieties such as spelt, durum, kamut, emmer etc.
- Mustard or its derivatives, e.g., mustard seeds, mustard flour, ground mustard, prepared mustard etc.
- Sulphites, e.g., sulphur dioxide and sodium metabisulphites etc.
- Gluten e.g., flour, starches and brans etc. Includes other wheat varieties such as spelt, durum, kamut, emmer etc. including oat.
- Crustaceans (including crab, crayfish, lobster, prawn and shrimp) and Shellfish (including snails, clams, mussels, oysters, cockle and scallops) or their derivative, e.g., extracts etc.
*** A Special Note on Crustaceans ***
Unfortunately we cannot guarantee the nori is 100% free of shellfish contact. Seaweed is grown and harvested in an open ocean environment. While strict procedures are in place to make sure any traces of Crustacean / Shellfish contaminants are removed, there is always a possibility of a small presence. People with very severe Allergen Sensitivities to Shellfish should avoid eating seaweed products.
Having said that, we have very strict procedures in place to prevent Crustacean / Shellfish contamination, largely as a requirement for our Kosher Program which has a tolerance level of 0%. An allergen test done at a local lab in California showed Presence of Crustaceans Allergen as "Non Detectable" at less then 1 part per million.
The nori is cleaned and strained to filter out any contaminants. The drying and packing facility only handles nori so the nori does not come into contact with any machinery that would have been in contact with shellfish during the processing or packaging stage.
We have not heard of anyone having a reaction to shellfish eating Nori specifically, as it is usually eaten with other seafoods, but is is entirely possible, so best to be cautious if there is a severe allergy.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Per Sheet of Nori (2.1gram serving)
Parameter | Result | Units |
Calories | 7.24 | kcal |
Calories from Fat | non detectable | kcal |
Total Carbohydrates | 1.03 | gram |
Vitamin A | 1.83 | IU |
Calcium | 10.02 | mg |
Iron | 0.32 | mg |
Potassium | 34.17 | mg |
Sodium | 12.89 | mg |
Total Sugar | non detectable | gram |
Total Dietary Fiber | 0.82 | gram |
Protein | 0.79 | gram |
Cholesterol | 0.34 | mg |
Monounsaturated Fat | non detectable | gram |
Polyunsaturated Fat | non detectable | gram |
Saturated Fat | non detectable | gram |
Total Fat | non detectable | |
Trans Fat | non detectable | |
Vitamin C | 2.69 | mg |
Iodine | 39 | mcg |
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Per 100 grams of Nori (3.5oz)
Parameter | Result | Units |
Calories | 345 | kcal/100g |
Calories from Fat | non detectable | kcal/100g |
Total Carbohydrates | 48.9 | g/100g |
Vitamin A | 87 | IU/100g |
Calcium | 477 | mg/100g |
Iron | 15.1 | mg/100g |
Potassium | 1627 | mg/100g |
Sodium | 614 | mg/100g |
Total Sugar | non detectable | g/100g |
Total Dietary Fiber | 39.2 | g/100g |
Protein | 37.4 | g/100g |
Cholesterol | 16.2 | mg/100g |
Monounsaturated Fat | non detectable | g/100g |
Polyunsaturated Fat | non detectable | g/100g |
Saturated Fat | non detectable | g/100g |
Total Fat | non detectable | |
Trans Fat | non detectable | |
Vitamin C | 128 | mg/100g |
Iodine | 1860 | mcg/100g |
Nori Super Facts:
1) Nori Sheets are close to 40% Protein by weight. That's twice the Protein of Soy Beans and 4 times the protein of Beef Liver.
2) Nori Sheets have more than 10 times the Calcium by weight then Milk and Dairy Products
3) Nori contains more vitamin C by weight then Raw Oranges
4) Nori is the best source of safe Iodine - see iodine section below for more details
5) Nori is Rich in essential Amino Acids such as Methionine, Threonine, Tryptophan, Alanine, and Glycine
6) Nori is found to contain Anti Oxidant compounds such as Chlorophyll and Phycoerythrin and is a great source of Polysacorides which help modulate Immune response, and has beneficial effects on gut function and micro biota acting as a prebiotics.
7) Results suggest that porphyrn from this species effectively decreases LDL Cholesterol while increasing High Density Lipoproteins or "Good Cholesterol"
8) Nori is very high in Omega 3 and in fact has 16 times higher Omega 3 then Omega 6 which make it one of the best sources of Omega 3 available. Just one sheet (3 grams) of Nori has more Omega 3 then 2 FULL AVOCADOS. The Polyunsaturated Fats play an important role in regulating inflammation and proper brain and nervous system functioning.
9) Nori is considered one of the best sources of Biologically available nutrients. It is high in Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, and in fact is much higher in vitamins (A,B1,B2,C) and Antioxidants then nearly all vegetables.
VARIETIES
Our Nori is available in Flakes, Powder and Full size sushi Nori sheets. The sheets come sealed in a package of 50 or 10 sheets.
IODINE INFORMATION
RawNori Nori Seaweed is a GREAT source of naturally occurring iodine for healthy living! Most people get their daily iodine from SALT that has iodine added to it! So that means if you want to get enough iodine you have to eat SALT..??!! How about we go back to the source and get it the old fashioned way, the natural way nature intended: FROM THE SEA! Nori seaweed is the most balanced and regulated sea vegetable for iodine intake. Please read below for all the details on why Nori is a great safe way to get your iodine intake, but also why some other seaweeds may be the wrong way to go about getting your iodine.
Our raw Nori has 18.6 mcg / gram of iodine.
Each Nori sheets is 2.1 grams total weight, thus each Nori sheet has 39 mcg of iodine
The recommended daily intake of Iodine is 150 mcg.This means 3.8 sheets of Nori per day will get your 150 mcg daily intake covered!
Most fruit and veg actually have very little natural iodine, a banana has only 3 mcg.. that means 50 bananas per day to get the requirement ! Nori is the best way for a raw foodist (or anyone on a healthy living plan who doesn’t eat iodized salt, dairy, fish, packaged food) to get adequate iodine.
Other types of seaweed are very high/ too high in iodine. Nori has far lower levels of iodine than other seaweeds such as kelp / kombu. Nori has a good low amount per sheet that can be easily regulated to meet your daily requirement but also know you are not getting too much. In comparison, Kombu seaweed has 2200% of the RDA in one sheet!! Waaaay too much. It is way to get too much iodine with other types of seaweed. And the iodine content in other seaweeds can vary greatly, further leading to unknowns in your daily requirements.
The recommended upper limit of too much iodine per day is 1100 mcg = 28 sheets of nori per day! So anywhere between 4 – 27 sheets per day is in the good zone of meeting the requirement without going above the upper limit. While we will love it if you eat 27 sheets per day,, we don’t know anyone who does..haha! But a daily serving of a few sheets or some flakes/powder in your diet is the way to go.
Can you have too much iodine? Yes. However, the “lethal dose” of iodine when it comes to our nori sheets would be 820,000 sheets eaten in one sitting !!!! That’s right 800 thousands sheets in one sitting. So, we’re pretty sure you’re safe there ;)
Compare the amounts of iodine in seaweeds:
Nori 18.6 mcg/ gram
Ground Kelp up to 8000 mcg/ gram
Kelp Whole up to 2500 mcg/ gram
Dulse 150 mcg/ gram
Seaweeds are usually considered high in iodine content, and can cause problems for thyroid patients. However there are many types of seaweed. Korea, and Japan have over 60 species of seaweed. Food preparation can affect iodine content of seaweed. Nori has a SMALL amount of iodine, compared to Miso soup. Kelp flavored stock is used to make miso soup. The soup then has over 1000 mcgs of iodine! The cooking in water releases the iodine into the broth. This level of iodine can cause progression of thyroid disease in susceptible thyroid patients. All seaweeds are not equal in causing problems. Ground kelp has 8000 mcg/gram, Kelp 2500, Dulse 150, and Nori has only 16. Young seaweed, and floating seaweed have higher iodine than sundried seaweed.
B12 INFORMATION
“To prevent Vitamin B12 deficiency in high-risk populations such as vegetarians, it is necessary to identify plant-derived foods that contain high levels of Vitamin B12,” reports the NIH. “A survey of naturally occurring plant-derived food sources with high Vitamin B12 contents suggested that dried purple laver (nori) is the most suitable Vitamin B12 source presently available for vegetarians. Furthermore, dried purple laver also contains high levels of other nutrients that are lacking in vegetarian diets, such as iron and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.” - NIH 2014 Study
Our Nori (Porphyra Yezoensis) has the highest level of Biologically Active and Biologically Available source of B12 in all vegetarian sources.
Nori (specifically Porphyra Yezoensis which is in the purple algae family) contains approximately 54.5 to 58.6 mg/100g or B12 vitamins
There are 5 types of Biologiclly Active B12 compounds in Nori (cyano, hydroxo, sulfito, adensoyl, and methylcobalamin )
with the last two adensoyl and methylocobalamin making up 60% of the total.
Here is some additional information:
“Consumption of approximately 4 g of dried purple laver [nori] (Vitamin B12 content: 77.6 μg /100 g dry weight) supplies the RDA of 2.4 μg/day,” reports the NIH.
It does not require that you eat a lot of nori, in order to get an adequate amount of B12.
In another study conducted by the NIH, “[r]andomized, controlled trials that involve folate and vitamin B12 suggest that patients treated with 0.8 mg of folic acid/day or 0.4 mg of vitamin B12/day will exhibit decreased depression symptoms.”
On top of that just one sheet (2.5 g) of nori contains other nutrients that may help with mental health and your overall well-being:
- Protein, 1g. Your body uses protein to build and repair tissues. Protein may also help you feel full for a longer period of time, which may prevent hunger pangs and overeating.
- Iron, 0.30 mg. You may know an iron deficiency can cause anemia, but you may not know iron is extremely important in regards to depression. Many women are depressed during their childbearing years (25-45), and this may be because women lose iron during menstruation. There are two types of iron -- heme and non-heme. Heme iron is rich in lean meat and seafood. This is more bioavailable, meaning your body can use it better. Non-heme iron is found in nuts, grains, vegetables and other fortified products.
- Magnesium, 9 mg. Several studies have reported an improvement in the severity of symptoms of depression when study participants were given 125-300 mg of this mineral with each meal and at bedtime.
- Calcium, 4 mg. There is no clear relationship between calcium and depression. Some studies found low calcium in depressed patients and others found elevated levels. However, you cannot ignore calcium’s role because it affects the levels of magnesium in the body.
- Vitamin K, 65 mcg. This vitamin is very important, as it helps regulate normal blood clotting. It also helps to transport calcium throughout the body, so it is very important for bone health.
- Phosphorus, 17 mg. This mineral works with calcium to build strong bones and teeth. It is also needed to help balance and use other vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, iodine, magnesium and zinc.
- Potassium, 78 mg. There’s a surprising connection with the liver and potassium. Liver injury or infection causes patients to urinate their potassium out. When the liver heals, the potassium levels start to go back up. This has implications for people with chronic liver problems, in terms of both diet as well as use of medications, since very low potassium levels can be more dangerous than the liver problem alone. Potassium may also help keep blood pressure under control and may even help reduce kidney stones and bone loss as you age.
- Vitamin C, 4mg. You likely know about the immune-boosting benefits of vitamin C, but what about this nutrient’s importance regarding aging? Click here to find out.
- Folate, 30 mcg. Folate (also called vitamin B9) is a very important nutrient, especially for pregnant women. Folate may also help prevent cancer and heart disease and improve mental health. A study from Harvard Health reported folate may also be useful in treating symptoms of depression.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING NORI & THE 2011 JAPAN EARTHQUAKE DISASTER:
The 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disaster occurred off the northern coast of Japan on the Pacific Ocean side. Our Nori growing site is in a 4000 acre Certified Organic growing area located below the southern tip of Japan in the Sea of Japan near the China coast. To be classified as Internationally Certified Organic growing waters, the area is weekly tested and must have a minimum of 3 year continuous "Clean" results to make this classification. The bioagricert organic program based in Italy and is much stricter than the USDA Organic program.
The prevailing winds and currents near Japan, travel from south to north, eventually circling around and head from north to south down the western coast of the United States. This means the affected waters were traveling in the opposite direction, from the disaster away from our growing site, and never coming into contact with our growing site. Even though there was virtually no threat to our geographic location, our factory conducted Daily Radiation Testing early on with continued testing still on going. All tests have shown 100 % non detectable results.
In addition, we send samples to an independent Lab located here in the U.S. (New Jersey) We test for all known isotopes of Radiation from earthquake disaster and have been found 100 % non detectable in all categories.
Please be assured that our Raw Organic Nori is safe and unaffected. We will continue to constantly monitor our supply to ensure the safety of our customers.