Dutch plant-based food supplier Schouten Europe B.V. is launching a plant-based fish burger analog, on the heels of rolling out its plant-based tuna analog, TuNo, and plant-based “fish sticks” earlier this year.
The Giessen, The Netherlands-based company’s plant-based analog, “Fishless Burger,” based on rice and wheat, will soon be presented to customers in the retail, out-of-home, and food industry channels, Schouten said in a press release.
Plant-based fish analogs are one of the most promising categories within plant-based food, according to the Smart Protein Report 2021 cited by Schouten. Research firm AC Nielsen found the strongest growth in the German market, where the plant-based fish analog category grew by 623 percent to EUR 1.9 million (USD 2.3 million) between 2018 and 2020.
The commercial seafood industry is watching the growth closely, according to Schouten Commercial Director Arjaan van der Giessen.
“We regularly speak with large parties from the fish industry who are quite interested in our products as well as the developments in the field of plant-based fish. Many of these companies want to offer plant-based options but do not know how to go about it,” he said.
Schouten recently introduced Fishless Sticks, aimed at both retail and foodservice customers, in April.
“Fish sticks are known all over the world and are very popular with children. This way we can teach a new generation which options they have to replace fish in their diet,” Schouten Product Manager Annemiek Vervoort told SeafoodSource at the time.
In related news, Ahrensburg, Germany-based Planeteneers is touting its plant-based meat and tuna analogs for use in pizzas.
“With Planteneers’ compounds, manufacturers can offer the entire range of pizzas with purely plant-based ingredients, and so address the rising demand for plant-based convenience foods,” the company said in a press release.
The company’s pea-based fiildTex D range lets manufacturers produce a plant-based tuna substitute “that is as good on pizza as the fish original,” Planteneers said. It can also provide sausage and cheese alternatives.
Photo courtesy of Schouten
