Buyers are bullish on the potential of plant-based fish, with various seafood firms elevating US$175 million in 2021 – almost double the quantity raised in 2020.
In whole, greater than 120 firms are actually creating various seafood merchandise around the globe, together with many in East and Southeast Asia. For instance, Singapore-based Growthwell, which is backed by Temasek and different traders, not too long ago outlined plans to export their various proteins, together with seafood merchandise made from konjac, to China and the UK.
Because the outdated adage goes, “the client is all the time proper”. With regards to various seafood, prospects need merchandise that may match or exceed the style, texture, dietary worth and affordability of the traditional seafood they know and love.
These should not unreasonable requests, however satisfying them would require considerably extra funding from private and non-private stakeholders into open-access analysis and improvement. These funds ought to go in the direction of bettering the standard, selection and price of plant-based seafood merchandise past what’s presently accessible.
For the sake of securing Asia’s more and more fraught meals provide and preserving the richness of our oceans amid a world of surging protein demand, we must always all hope that various seafood producers can stay as much as customers’ excessive expectations.
Ryan Huling is the senior communications supervisor of different protein suppose tank Good Meals Institute APAC.
