#Feed and grow fish hack series

Novish, the first European alternative fish company, is also gearing up to start distribution next month.

#Feed and grow fish hack series

These accolades have certainly helped them reel in investment, closing a $32 million Series B funding round last month, led by American giant General Mills - the company behind Cheerios, Yoplait and Nature Valley. Their tuna and fish burgers have since gone on to win multiple awards. Passionate about plant-based eating since starting their blog Wicked Healthy, they spent eighteen months perfecting their seafood mouthfeel from a mix of six legumes.

US-based Good Catch was founded by two culinary ninja brothers вЂ“ Chad and Derek Sarno. In a recent interview, Daniel Wiesner, COO at Fredy Wiesner Gastronomie stressed that this is not about replacing fish and seafood options вЂ“ itвЂ™s about understanding what matters to conscious customers and providing them with a choice. Fredy Wiesner Gastronomie, a family-run business that runs multiple restaurants in Switzerland, is eager to offer plant-based alternatives for the salmon, tuna and shrimp-based meals in their sushi concepts - Negishi Sushi Bar and Nooch Asian Kitchen. Vegan seafood is a boon to chefs who are looking to please foodie plant-lovers by offering them taste experiences that match their meat-munching fellow dinersвЂ™ dishes. Swiss retailer Coop also added vegan fish - made by Dutch company Vivera - to their existing range of alternatives, recognising a rapid growth in consumer demand.ДЇoodservice innovators are also playing an important role in responding to consumersвЂ™ changing needs. UK market leader Tesco, for example, launched an вЂњaffordableвЂќ plant-based battered fish to tempt the taste buds of flexitarians missing their chip shop fix. In retail, the growing number of plant-based alternatives stocked shows to what extent these products are becoming mainstream.

The same is true when it comes to primary ingredients, with research and development teams going beyond the usual suspects - soya, wheat, rice and legumes вЂ“ and looking to carrots, fungi, aubergine and seaweed to create new taste and texture combinations. From salmon, shrimps and squid to lobster, sushi and caviar вЂ“ products are just as varied as the oceanвЂ™s natural inhabitants. Given that this product category is still in its infancy, the variety of plant-based seafood options is surprising. Products and distribution: from salmon and lobster to retail and restaurants Plant-based seafood offers consumers in transition a convenient and familiar way to add variety to their new diet by treating them to a different taste and mouthfeel. Many consumers want to adopt more plant-based diets, but donвЂ™t want to вЂ“ or donвЂ™t feel able to вЂ“ dive straight into dinners made of lentils and legumes. So plant-based seafood feels like a safe shortcut.ДЄnd then thereвЂ™s protein - the must-have micronutrient du jour. They want to make informed decisions, but theyвЂ™re also confused by the myriad of labels that shout out at them from the fish aisle. TheyвЂ™re concerned about overfishing, its impact on local ecosystems and human rights violations in seafood supply chains. Millennials and Generation Z in particular also care about the environmental and ethical impacts of the food they eat. Plant-based products are perfectly positioned to appeal to anxious consumers looking for вЂњbetter-for-youвЂќ, allergen-free alternatives, which allow them to continue to enjoy all their fishy favourites. But from mercury to microplastic, the industry has also faced its fair share of health crises over the last few years. Traditionally, consumers have seen seafood as a healthier, lighter alternative to meat. вЂЌ Trend drivers: healthy, conscious consumers and convenient protein So letвЂ™s take a look at whatвЂ™s on the menu in 2020 - and how we can get your customers hooked on this trend. Given that вЂњseafoodвЂќ products only make up around 1.2 percent of these sales so far, the market opportunity is clear.Дў019 saw a growing number of start-ups battling to gain market share, as reports indicated that the big fish were about to wade in and take over the pond.

In fact, Barclays estimates that the plant-based food industry will be worth $140 billion in the next 10 years, capturing around 10 percent of the $1.4 trillion global meat industry. But bolstered by conscious consumersвЂ™ changing preferences and the hefty returns on companies like Beyond Meat, investors are now flocking around this category like seagulls around an abandoned bag of fish and chips.

Until recently, if youвЂ™d have cast for plant-based fish, youвЂ™d have probably reeled in an empty line. But with 90% of the worldвЂ™s fish stocks in the red, it seems we might need a more future-focussed solution. The saying goes that if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.