As plant-based beef inches closer to mainstream stomachs, a startup called Good Catch has been working on the same idea… but for fish. Now, lab-grown sea-life alternatives are hitting supermarkets.
Fast Company reports that the company’s plant-based albacore tuna chunks hit the aisles of Whole Foods and Thrive Markets yesterday, with plans to hit other retailers soon.
You can take the fish out of the tuna…
The startup began developing its version of tuna a few years ago, spending about a year workshopping the texture and taste.
Good Catch uses a mix of 6 legumes (from soy and peas to fava beans and navy beans) for texture, and, of course, algae oil and seaweeds to give it that ocean-life taste.
Good Catch isn’t the only brand leading the charge: About a year ago, Wild Type raised $3.5m, and the founders of Finless Foods — which also raised money last year — predict “rapid commercialization within years, not decades.”
But you can’t take the tuna out of the fish
The issue of overfishing and depletion has long been on the back burner (85% of marine fish has been either fully exploited or overfished) — because what would people do without their fresh sushi??
Perhaps more importantly, fish are consuming more microplastics than ever as sea pollution hits record highs, and they’re carrying diseases into fisheries, which can then get transferred to humans.
So, much like Impossible Foods, Good Catch and others are not only working to save our oceans and wildlife, but also to help high-fish consumers stay healthy.
