Thai Union

John West vegan tuna

© John West/Thai Union
Meat- and Fish Alternatives

“Major Milestone” as Seafood Giant John West Launches Fish-Free Tuna

UK-based seafood company John West has launched a plant-based tuna alternative for the first time in its 166-year history. The company is owned by Thai Union, which has increasingly been exploring plant-based and cultivated alternatives to animal protein. The tuna alternative marks a major step forward in the Thai seafood giant’s efforts to become more sustainable. “John West Vegan Fish-Free Tuna is Thai Union’s first branded alternative protein product launch worldwide and therefore a major milestone for us,” said Jon Burton, director of the company’s European Marine Protein unit. Made from soy and wheat protein, the product comes in two flavours — Vegan Fish-Free Tuna with a Dash of Oil and Vegan Fish-Free Tuna with Tomato & Basil. The tuna has initially been launched in …

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Alvyn Severien. © Algama Foods
Investments & Acquisitions

Seafood Giant Thai Union Invests in French Microalgae Producer Algama Foods

The corporate venture capital fund of global seafood company Thai Union has announced an investment in Paris-based microalgae producer Algama Foods. Through the investment, Thai Union is looking to grow its alternative proteins business, with the aim of becoming more sustainable. The company has been working towards this goal for some time, last year forming an alliance with Chicken of the Sea and The ISH Food Company to invest in sustainable seafood alternatives. Thai Union has also invested in another algae ingredients producer, Mara Renewables, and has signed a memorandum of understanding with Aleph Farms with the goal of bringing cultivated meat to the APAC region. Strong tech and commercial capabilities “At Thai Union, we are committed to ‘Healthy Living, Healthy Oceans’, and algae, as …

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ISH Food Plant-Based Shrimp

©Shrimpish
Company News

Thai Union and Chicken of the Sea Form Alliance with Alt-Seafood Brand The ISH Food Company

Global tuna giant Thai Union and Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods announce an alliance with US alt-seafood brand The ISH Food Company. The alliance will leverage Thai Union and Chicken of the Sea’s marketing and distribution channels to invest in sustainable seafood, making such options available to more consumers at affordable prices. Since 2016, Thai Union has actively developed its SeaChange sustainability strategy, as environmental stewardship is increasingly a primary concern for seafood consumers. In a survey conducted with Wakefield Research, Chicken of the Sea reveals grocery and foodservice executives and buyers were surprised to receive requests for plant-based (35%) and lab-grown (31%) seafood products this year. “We are excited to expand our reach within the alternative protein space through this alliance with The …

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Mara Renewables

© Mara Renewables
Algae, Microalgae & Seaweed

Tuna Giant Thai Union Invests $10M in Algae Ingredients Leader Mara Renewables

Thai Union Group, the global tuna giant, has announced a CAD $10 million investment in Mara Renewables Corporation, one of the world’s leading producers of sustainably grown algae-based bio-products. The investment comes as part of Mara’s CAD $39.5 million growth funding round, as Thai Union – owner of Chicken of the Sea and John West – continues to diversify in the alt protein sector.  Based in Nova Scotia, Mara has successfully built a portfolio of micro-algal strains that the company claims can be processed using a clean, environmentally-friendly extraction method into high-quality algal oil. These oils – approved by multiple respected regulatory bodies – offer a plant-based solution for DHA-rich omega-3 fatty acids. Thai Union joins other financial partners in the round to accelerate the …

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Thai Union OMG Meat

OMG Meat ©Thai Union

Investments & Finance

Thai Union’s $30M Venture Fund and $9M Innovation Center Will Usher in Tuna Giant ‘s Alt Protein Future

Thai Union Group – one of the biggest producers of tuna in the world – has set up a Global Innovation Center in Thailand to create an alt protein future for the multinational company. Based in Bangkok, the $9 million facility employs over 100 food scientists and engineers working on alt meat and seafood. As well as the new Global Innovation Center, Thai Union has also partnered with several companies through a venture fund aimed at the production of cell cultivated seafood. The $30 million fund has seen agreements with companies including US cultivated seafood leader BlueNalu and Israeli cultivated meat pioneer Aleph Farms.  Pursuing both plant-based as well as cellular agriculture innovation, Thai Union’s alt protein strategy includes its OMG Meat brand, launched in …

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More Food Innotech More Meat

©More Food Innotech
Stock market

Thailand’s V Foods Plans Public Listing Following Thai Union Deal

Thai plant-based food and beverage producer V Foods has announced its intention to list on the Market for Alternative Investment (MAI) to raise funds for expansion. Owned by Apirak Kosayodhin, the former Bangkok governor, V Foods transformed into a fully plant-based operation earlier this year to meet rising demand in Thailand.  In June this year, V Foods signed a memorandum of understanding with seafood giant Thai Union Group to develop and expand their plant-based food businesses. Under the partnership deal, the two companies will use Thai Union’s facilities to produce V Foods’ range with expansion into global markets high on the agenda. V Foods holds a similar deal with More Food Innotech, producer and distributor of the More Meat plant-based brand. The MAI is a …

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Cultivated Beef Steak

© Aleph Farms

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Seafood Giant Thai Union Partners with Aleph Farms as 97% of Thais Say Yes to Cell-Cultured Meat

After recently partnering with actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio, cell-cultured meat pioneer Aleph Farms has now signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with two of Asia’s largest food companies, including the world’s largest tuna producer Thai Union.  Famed for growing steaks directly from animal cells, Aleph Farms has penned MOUs with Thai Union and global food and lifestyle company CJ CheilJedang, to accelerate Aleph’s scale-up, go-to-market activities, and elevate distribution of cell-cultured meat in existing marketing channels across the APAC region. Aleph Farms announced a similar agreement with Mitsubishi in Japan this year. Backed by its recent $105 million Series B funding round – which included the participation of both Thai Union and CJ CheilJedang – Israel’s Aleph Farms is planning an initial market launch in …

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Aleph Farms and The Technion Reveal Worlds First Cultivated Ribeye Steak

© Aleph Farms
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Global Meat Giants Invest in a Cell-Cultured Future: Aleph Farms Secures $105M in Series B

Israeli cell-cultured steak pioneer Aleph Farms today announces the completion of a $105 million Series B funding round. The funding was bolstered by leading global meat companies including Thai Union, the world’s largest tuna processor which has become increasingly active in alt protein investment and development, as well as existing investor Cargill. “We see our investors as partners for building this new category of meat “ The company behind the world’s first cell-cultured ribeye steak has now raised more than $118 million to date. The round was led by the Growth Fund of L Catterton and DisruptAD, one of the largest venture platforms in the Middle East, with participation from Skyviews Life Science, a consortium of leading global food and meat companies including Thai Union, …

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Thai Union cans

©Thai Union

Company News

Tides Turn as World’s Biggest Tuna Processor Recognises That Future of Seafood is Plant-Based and Cell-Based

As much as one in five cans of tuna sold globally is canned by Thai Union, which operates under different brand names in various markets such as John West in the UK,  Petit Navire in France, Mareblu in Italy and Chicken of the Sea in the USA, raking in annual sales exceeding US$ 4.2 billion. “Alternative proteins are an important innovative product that we aim to deliver to meet the needs of consumers” – Thiraphong Chansiri, CEO, Thai Union The group announced yesterday it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with V Foods (Thailand) Co., Ltd., The Thai producer of More Meat plant-based protein and V Farm plant-based food. Under the MoU, the two companies will utilise  Thai Union’s manufacturing facilities for the production of …

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BlueNalu's whole-muscle, cell-based yellowtail medallions, image supplied

BlueNalu's whole-muscle, cell-based yellowtail medallions, image supplied
Company News

BlueNalu Signs Deals to Bring Cell Cultured Seafood to Asia With Thai Union and Mitsubishi Corporation

As global seafood consumption continues to rise, particularly in Asia where it is outpacing population growth, cellular aquaculture specialist BlueNalu announces it has signed Memorandums of Understanding with global seafood producer Thai Union and Japan’s largest trading company Mitsubishi Corporation, to evaluate market development strategies for its cell-grown seafood in Asia.

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©ltummy - stock.adobe.com
Company News

World’s Largest Tuna Brand Thai Union to Launch Vegan Shrimp as Thai Market Thrives

Tuna giant Thai Union, which owns brands including John West and Chicken of the Sea, is to debut a plant-based shrimp in 2021. The launch comes in response to increased demand for vegan seafood globally, as well as a growing shift towards plant-based diets in Thailand, a country where big players continue to enter the plant-based sector.

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