Plant-based seafood to leverage free-from microplastics and ecological claims amid growing environmental awareness

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Faux-meat is perhaps the most iconic in the plant-based revolution, as food scientists work to reproduce the flavours and textures people love with none of the animal suffering, or meat-linked health drawbacks.

Indeed, the free-from trend, in which products market themselves based on what they do not include, is relevant here also. Many plant-based alternatives to fish now make a point of showing themselves to be free of microplastics and other ocean pollutants; something real fish cannot boast about. The issue of environmental damage has been used by marketers to promote faux-fish as purer, more ethical, and ultimately the moral and healthy option.

Within the alternative-meat category, a frenzied battle to become the iconic fake-fish brand is heating up. Competitors include Swiss food giant Nestle, with the recent launch of their ‘Vuna’ tuna alternative.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant implications for this category, particularly for younger people; GlobalData’s latest COVID-19 recovery survey shows that, in the US, *44% of millennials are buying more plant-based meat alternatives than before the pandemic. What’s more, over half (63%) of all millennial respondents stated that a products’ impact on their health and wellbeing always or often influences their choice, which will help explain the uptick in plant-based meat alternatives purchases; growing awareness around microplastics impact on both one’s individual health and the environment will push consumers to seek ‘cleaner’ options for their everyday staples.

This year has been no stranger to plant-based innovations, with big names, including Starbucks, Nestle and Tyson Foods, all trying to expand their presence in the rapidly growing sector. One notable example, which will help normalize the presence of plant-based seafood in foodservice, is the Good Catch-Veggie Grill joint venture. This venture saw the Good Catch brand take that crucial step from the supermarket shelf to restaurant kitchen in the US market, further cementing the overwhelming consumer trend in which the appeal of plant-based foods has become ever more widespread.

The percentage of the global population who are strictly vegetarian or vegan is still relatively low. However, the explosion of plant-based products in environmental and ‘clean label’ context lends weight to ‘flexitarianism’ as an important identifier of today’s consumer-base, with many meat-eaters apparently swayed by plant-based iterations of established foods.

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