SeafoodSource is closely following the plant-based and cell-based seafood alternatives market by compiling a regular round-up of updates from the sector.
-Vancouver, Canada-based seafood company Konscious Foods, which specializes in plant-based products, announced its plans to expand its frozen, plant-based sushi, as well as other offerings, into the U.S. market in 2024.
The company has also appointed Affinity Group Canada as its broker for the Canadian market, the company stated in a release.
“Foodservice presents many options for us to make an impact at scale in 2024,” Konscious Foods Founder Yves Potvin said in a release. “We are on a mission to help consumers embrace a more plant-based and sustainable diet by breaking the barriers to entry in this category – such as taste and affordability. By bringing our beloved products to more distribution channels, we know more people will be able to embrace a plant-forward lifestyle.”
Konscious Foods offerings include four varieties of plant-based sushi, salmon block or poke cubes, tuna block or poke cubes, and four varieties of plant-forward onigiri. The brand's frozen yet high-quality products allow both individuals and foodservice companies to enjoy ready-to-eat food that saves them time.
“We know how overworked and understaffed many of America’s kitchens and cafeterias are," Potvin said. "With our proprietary ‘Thaw and Serve’ design, we can save significant labor costs and time while also cutting down on food waste by extending shelf life."
-Singapore-based cell-cultivated seafood company Umami Bioworks announced it will open a cultivated meats factory in Malaysia in 2025 with its partner Cell AgriTech. The factory is slated to be the largest cell-cultivation facility in the Asia-Pacific region.
“We are moving aggressively to deliver on the promise of cultivated seafood by bringing our technology stack to manufacturing partners and working with leading brands," the company stated in a LinkedIn release. "Stay tuned for more announcements of our first product and brand partners for this facility in the coming months."
The announcement is a continuation of the company's partnership with Cell AgriTech, which aims to expand the reach of cultivated meat and seafood products in its home of Malaysia and beyond.
“Bringing our biotechnology and engineering expertise together with their manufacturing experience to scale sustainable, locally produced meat and seafood, [the new factory] will power production for a range of products from brands consumers know and trust,” Umami Bioworks said.
- Berlin, Germany-based seafood company BettaF!sh is leading a corporate celebration of Veganuary, an annual challenge started by a U.K. nonprofit that encourages people to pursue a vegan lifestyle for the month of January.
BettaF!ish will collaborate with Deutsche Bahn, Pizza Hut, and Coop Switzerland, will allow for BettaF!sh to showcase its new tuna analog product TU-NAH to consumers across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
“With BettaF!sh, we’re proving that sustainability can simultaneously taste great and be affordable for everyone. In the last 18 months, we have successfully won over exceptional partners in retail, foodservice, and industry in over eight countries, showing that TU-NAH and seaweed will play an important role in the future of food," BettaF!sh Founder and CEO Deniz Ficioglu said in a release. "The positive feedback we consistently receive from consumers and chefs motivates us every day to continue developing outrageously tasty products and, in doing so, push the topic of saving our seas and their dwellers to the forefront."
The company has also teased a seaweed-based fish alternative product that it expects should launch in 2024.
Photo courtesy of Konscious Foods
