| Indonesia is known as the biggest seaweed producing country in the world. Any information about seaweed, good or bad, affects to the livelihood of coastal communities, who mainly work as seaweed farmers or labours. The health benefits of consuming seaweed is well known, but lately, the consumption of seaweed is also feared to have an adverse effect on human health, especially through the content of heavy metals that may be in it. Therefore, objective data on seaweed content based on laboratory analysis should be disclosed. Seaweed samples were collected from Bali, Sabu, and Lembongan. The analysis includes proximate (SNI 01-2891-1992 method), food fiber (with AOAC 985.29.2005), macrominerals (i.e. Mg, K, Ca, Na and Fe with AOAC 985.35/50.1.14.2005), microminerals and heavy metals (with ICP, SNI 01-2896-1998, and SNI 01-4866-1998), and vitamins (with HPLC). The results showed that the nutrient composition of E. cottonii was different according to the origin of the seaweed area. However, the heavy metal content in all seaweed samples tested was still far below the maximum threshold allowed for human consumption. Therefore, it can be concluded that E. cottonii seaweed from Indonesia is not contaminated with heavy metals and is safe for human consumption. |