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Plant-based seafood analog products continue to gain in popularity in Europe. To meet that demand, suppliers have been launching new plant-based products, while companies traditionally aligned with the seafood industry have been investing in plant-based firms.
Agriculture giant Cargill is investing in Bflike, a start-up created by BOX NV. Bflike has patent-pending vegan fat and blood platforms, and it plans to license its proprietary technology and premix ingredient solutions to food manufacturers and retailers so they can commercialize their own meat and fish alternative products.
“This ground-breaking technology results in plant-based meat and fish alternative products that are virtually indistinguishable from their animal-based counterparts, with similar visual appearance (both raw and cooked), texture, mouthfeel, melting behavior, and cooking performance,” Cargill said.
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Plant-based seafood analog products are becoming increasingly popular, and, while many are still in the development stage, cellular-based seafood options are also on the rise.
In the most recent notable example of plant-based seafood success, Stockholm, Sweden-based Hooked Foods is launching Toona, shredded plant-based tuna, in restaurants nationwide next spring. The shredded Toona can be used in a wide range of dishes, including sushi, pizza, pasta, and sandwiches, the company said.
Hooked raised SEK 5.14 million (USD 621,000, EUR 507,000) in capital to fund the expansion, thanks to new investors such as Katapult Ocean, Wave Ventures, PlusCap, ProVeg, and Veg Capital.
“The goal is to get as many people as possible to switch to plant-based alternatives to fish, without compromising on taste, quality, and nutrition,” Hooked said in a press release.