A video posted by a U.S.-based business owner alleges that seamoss from Saint Lucia is not naturally produced. Export Saint Lucia’s Chief Executive Officer, Sunita Daniel, said the suggestion is not only false but threatens to undermine an industry that has built a strong global reputation for quality.
“These claims are coming from one business owner in the United States, and they are completely unfounded,” Daniel said.
She stressed that Saint Lucia’s seamoss production is tightly regulated and monitored, making the claim of artificiality impossible.
“Saint Lucia does not produce fake seamoss. Seamoss is subject to a rigorous certification process,” she explained. “The Ministry of Fisheries monitors the industry, and anyone exporting seamoss must obtain an export certificate. Export Saint Lucia also conducts its own checks. For someone to now claim the product is fake is unfair, and frankly, very annoying.”
Daniel suggested the accusations appear to be a deliberate tactic to undermine Saint Lucia’s brand.
“We know what this is,” she said. “It’s unfair marketing. People understand that Saint Lucian seamoss is the best in the world, so they try to discredit it. We’ve seen this play out before, look at what happened to coconut oil. First they said it was unhealthy, our factory shut down, and then those same critics started producing it themselves.”
Daniel said Export Saint Lucia is prepared to defend the industry aggressively, including through legal channels.
“We are taking this very seriously. We will pursue every action available with our agents in the United States to ensure this stops.”
Testing and quality assurance for the product involve not only the Ministry of Agriculture and the Department of Fisheries but also the Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards and the National Diagnostic Facility, where seamoss samples undergo regular analysis.
Saint Lucia seamoss has become one of the island’s most sought-after agricultural exports in recent years, supplying wellness markets across North America, Europe, and the Caribbean. Industry stakeholders fear that misinformation could harm livelihoods and stall growth.
Export Saint Lucia has urged buyers and consumers to rely on verified sources and official certification, rather than social media claims.