Impact Food has unveiled its latest innovation: plant-based sushi-grade salmon. Timed perfectly with World Oceans Day, this new product aims to offer consumers a delicious, nutritious, and more sustainable alternative to traditional salmon.

FoodTech 500 alumni Impact Food is no stranger to the plant-based seafood scene. With their prior success with Impact Tuna, the company continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the Blue Economy. Their newest offering promises to deliver the taste, texture, and culinary experience of real salmon but without the environmental downsides.

“Our mission is to revolutionize the seafood industry with plant-based alternatives that are better for the planet and future generations. We are thrilled to introduce our plant-based salmon, a product that embodies our commitment to sustainability and innovation. There’s no better day to launch our presale than on World Oceans Day, as we strive to protect and preserve our oceans.” – Kelly Pan, Co-Founder and CEO of Impact Food.

 

Why We Need Sustainable Seafood

The need for sustainable seafood has never been more urgent. Overfishing and unsustainable practices have led to a significant decline in fish populations. According to the World Bank, nearly 90% of the world’s fish stocks are fully exploited, overexploited, or depleted. This alarming trend not only threatens marine ecosystems but also the livelihoods of millions who depend on fishing for their income. Sustainable seafood alternatives, like Impact Food’s plant-based salmon, are crucial in reducing pressure on wild fish populations and helping restore ocean health.

Our FoodTech Data Navigator tracks 112 seafood startups, spanning technologies such as plant-based (e.g., soy, legumes, oils), cultivated (e.g., salmon, tuna, crab, mussels), fermentation-enabled (e.g., biomass fermentation, traditional fermentation, precision fermentation) and enabling technologies (e.g., growth medium, strain engineering), 34 of which have been featured in the FoodTech500 (across all editions). Alternative seafood has been gaining popularity, with 34% of startups founded in the last three years (2021-2023). However, the focus on alternative proteins remains predominantly on meat, as evidenced by the significantly lower number of registered companies in the alternative seafood sector—only 112 compared to over 500 working on meat alternatives (Source: FoodTech Data Navigator). With a projected 14% growth in seafood demand by 2030, according to McKinsey, alternative seafood shows significant potential to help meet the high demand of species like salmon, tuna, or shrimp, which traditional fish farming is struggling to supply. 

 

Celebrating World Oceans Day with Sustainable Seafood

World Oceans Day is a fitting occasion for Impact Food’s latest debut. The company participated in two major World Oceans Week events to showcase their innovative products. Impact Salmon made a grand entrance at Oisix Ra Daichi’s annual event in Tokyo, featuring prominently in sashimi and nigiri dishes and even gaining TV coverage on WBS, TV Tokyo.

The Science Behind Plant-Based Salmon

Building on the success of their flagship product, Impact Tuna, the team at Impact Food has developed plant-based salmon using proprietary texturization technology. This advanced process ensures the new salmon mimics the texture and taste of traditional sushi-grade salmon, making it perfect for a variety of dishes, from sushi and sashimi to creative culinary applications.

Daphne Jumilla, Lead Food Scientist and creator of Impact Salmon, expressed her excitement: “After months of iterations, a handful of tastings, and door-to-door feedback from our existing and future customers, we are so excited to see this product come to life! Our plant-based salmon is not only a delicious and nutritious alternative, but it also plays a crucial role in reducing the pressure on our overfished oceans.”

Impact Food is offering a special pre-order discount to celebrate the launch for food service providers, restaurants, and retailers until June 22.

 

Impact Food is a first-timer in the FoodTech 500 for 2023 and among the 90+ startups from North America that made it to this year’s list.

 

Are you an AgriFoodTech startup or scale-up? Early Applications for the 2024 Edition of the FoodTech 500 is now OPEN. Apply by July 31st 2024 to fast-track your application. Or  NOMINATE an exciting and groundbreaking AgriFoodTech company for the next edition of the Foodtech 500. Read about all about What’s New in the 2024 FoodTech 500 and how startups, scale-ups, and ecosystem players can benefit from it.

 

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