Seafood

Gathered Foods, makers of Good Catch Plant-Based Seafood, today announced international retail distribution across multiple European markets, including the Netherlands and Spain. This is Gathered Foods’ largest retail expansion since the brand’s inception, a major milestone for the innovative food company. As the European and UK markets continue to be advantageous for plant-based products, with plant-based alternatives expected to be worth €7.5 billion by 2025, the timing is ideal for Gathered Foods to grow their international footprint.

Food scientists and marketers are creating healthy, plant-based, imitation tuna, crab, and shrimp that look and taste like the real thing. Better yet, switching to faux seafood will help curb our reliance on an international fishing industry that has become an environmental and human-rights disaster.

Singapore-based cell-based firm Shiok Meats has launched a lobster meat prototype (Shiok Lobster) - the first of its kind worldwide. The company first launched its cell-based shrimp prototype (Shiok Shrimp) in April 2019, in the form of siew mai (Chinese steamed dumplings).

Growing seafood — or any meat — in a lab can be pricey, which is why a team of researchers at the University of Calgary are experimenting with ways to drive down that cost by focusing on fish protein. “Our research is attempting to address some of the major cost drivers that are currently playing a role in cellular agriculture,” said Cameron Semper, a postdoctoral fellow at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Cellular agriculture involves creating products typically associated with agriculture, like animal byproducts, but from cell cultures.

To say plant-based foods are having a moment is an understatement. Green is now mainstream. What was once a niche diet for vegetarians settling for some semblance of a meat-eating experience, is now increasingly embraced as a healthy, delicious and modern lifestyle. But while the sector is experiencing impressive growth, the penetration and proliferation of plant-based foods across our grocery aisles is still very much in its infancy. Beyond the plant-based meat category, there still remain a number of untapped food types, some with little competition, ripe for disruption.