SeafoodSource is closely following the plant-based and cell-based seafood alternatives market by compiling a regular round-up of updates from the sector. If you have an announcement, please send it to [email protected].
– Food system and health advocacy organization ProVeg International has released a report studying the nutritional performance of various vegan seafood alternatives.
It found that though plant-based fish alternatives (PBFAs) can support a more sustainable food system by reducing the pressure on marine ecosystems, nutritional quality of seafood alternatives varies widely in vegan seafood.
The study found that 78 percent of the products studied counted as a "source of protein" in compliance with the E.U. criteria of the term. It also found that all the PBFAs it studied contained fiber, which is not in conventional seafood and which also offers health benefits.
In most of the products studied, saturated fat content was low in keeping with that of conventional seafood.
A major difference between conventional seafood and the studied alternatives was that only 27 percent of the products contained omega-3s.
The report’s authors said that most of the products containing omega-3s did not derive that nutrient from EPA and DHA, which are found in fish, but that if producers added algae-based omega-3s to their products, they could “close this nutritional gap.”
Most products also contained additives like stabilizers and thickeners, the report found. The researchers said that these are “generally safe but poorly understood by consumers” and recommended “cleaner labels and greater transparency ... to help build trust and consumer confidence.”
The report also offered recommendations to PBFA industry stakeholders, including that manufacturers should place more focus on fortifying their products nutritionally and that governments should set clear nutritional standards and fortification requirements for these products.
– Vienna, Austria-based food technology startup Revo Foods has launched a new seafood alternative, The Kraken, which aims to imitate conventional octopus.
The product, which was launched in March 2024 as a limited-edition mycoprotein-based octopus alternative, has been officially relaunched in response to strong customer demand.
“The Kraken is visually iconic–a truly creative product that brings a new angle to plant-based foods,” Revo Foods Tech Head Niccolo Galizzi said. “The Kraken doesn’t take itself too seriously – a perfect product to spark debate at a family dinner.”
The product is produced at Revo’s Vienna production facility: The Taste Factory. It can be eaten either raw or cooked.
“The Kraken is here to capture our imagination but also to spark debate," Revo CEO Robin Simsa said. "Why does a vegan alternative to octopus bring such controversy, while the farming of highly intelligent octopus does not? The Kraken is super tasty but also meant to be playful and start a debate about the perception of alternative protein products.”
– Hamburg, Germany-based cell-cultured seafood alternative company Bluu Seafood has partnered with Walluf, Germany-based Van Hees, a spice and ingredient company.
The partnership is expected to bring together Van Hees’ flavor technology and Bluu’s cell-cultivated platform.
“We see great potential in cultivated fish as part of a sustainable protein supply," Van Hees Managing Director Robert Becht said, per Green Queen. "This cooperation enables us to contribute our innovative strength to a forward-looking segment and actively participate in the transformation of the food system.”
Bluu Co-Founder and Co-CEO Sebastian Rakers agreed.
“Both sides – we at Bluu Seafood as a pioneer in the field of fish cell cultivation and Van Hees as an established and experienced food company – can only benefit from the partnership," he said. "This offers enormous opportunities for the development of delicious yet sustainable foods.”
