Startups turn to ponds to find the next climate-fighting superfood
The tiny plant has many aliases, including more enticing ones like water lentils and lemna, and it’s got some momentum: Whole Foods Market Inc. named it one of the top food trends of 2025 while startup Plantible announced it raised a $30 million Series B funding round on Friday. There’s still a long road ahead for water lentils to go mainstream, though, and with one startup already failing, there are concerns the plant may struggle to reach widespread adoption.
Companies are harvesting and marketing the plant that grows like, well, a weed. They’re finding a variety of uses, including selling the seeds whole as a way to add nutrients to everyday meals or drawing out the chemical properties to act like eggs or enhance flavors.
The protein content of duckweed is up to 45%, research shows, which is significantly higher than other vegetables. Startup GreenOnyx, which has raised $47 million and sells water lentils under the brand name Wanna Greens, says the lentils contain more iron than spinach, more zinc than kale or broccoli and more potassium than any other vegetable.
Beyond its nutritional value, duckweed is a fast-growing plant, doubling in biomass every 24 to 72 hours, and can be grown year-round. Both are reasons water lentils could be a diet game changer if marketed correctly, said Ingrid van der Meer, a researcher at Wageningen Plant Research.
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