Sushi

Vegan Finest Foods sushi roll

© Vegan Finest Foods
Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Vegan Zeastar Introduces Plant-Based Sushi Rolls

Dutch brand plant-based seafood brand, Vegan Zeastar, is launching a new product line: Plant-Based Sushi Rolls. The sushi range is available in three flavors: Oshi No Salmon, Spicy No Tuna, and No Salmon Asparagus. The launch took place today at the CuliPerslunch in De Kookfabriek in Amsterdam, where food service professionals were able to taste the new products for the first time. The new sushi rolls were developed by Vegan Finest Foods, the company behind Vegan Zeastar, and are designed to enhance the sushi experience for plant-based food lovers. The rolls are ready to serve, pre-cut and frozen, making them easy to use. They only need to be defrosted and can then be topped as desired before serving. The products are suitable for restaurants and …

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Plant-based sushi by Konscious Foods

© Konscious Foods
Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Konscious Foods: Frozen Plant-Based Sushi by Gardein Founder Enters Whole Foods Stores Across North America

Canadian alt seafood brand Konscious Foods has expanded its plant-based frozen sushi range to all Whole Foods Market locations across North America. The range consists of: Sushi rolls — available in the varieties California Roll, Spicy California Roll, Rainbow Roll, and Tuna Avocado Roll. Onigiri stuffed rice snacks — rice wrapped around plant-based fillings. The snacks are available in four varieties — Kale Gomae, Japanese Vegetable Curry, Roasted Corn + Poblano, and Korean BBQ Mushroom. Poke Bowls — rice topped with plant-based fish, edamame, corn, mango, and sauce. Two varieties — tuna and salmon — are available. The products are said to be made with clean ingredients such as konjac, pea fiber, Jasberry rice, and organic red quinoa. Using patent-pending technology, they can be cooked …

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EAT HAPPY instore sushi concept

© EAT HAPPY

Food Service

EAT HAPPY Trials Vegan Fish Sushi in Austria Where Vegan Diet is “Rising Steadily”

EAT HAPPY, an in-store sushi concept and leading supplier of Asian convenience products in mainland Europe, launches three plant-based fish sushi products, stating that the company sees the “proportion of those people who eat a purely vegan diet rising steadily in Austria”. The products being trialed at four initial test markets in Vienna, Salzburg, and Innsbruck are Vegan Salmon Nigiri, Vegan Salmon Maki, and Vegan Tuna California. The vegan sushi products are set to expand nationally throughout Austria after the test phase. EAT HAPPY’s plant-based offerings EAT HAPPY is represented in more than 3,000 locations in stationary food retailers throughout Europe and operates 50 EAT HAPPY Shops as well as in more than 1,000 chests at stores such as Billa and Spar. Last May, the …

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jam delish modern caribbean vegan dishes

© Jam Delish
Food Service

Six Exciting New Vegan Restaurants Appear Around the World

Around the world, six new vegan restaurants have emerged, exploring different types of cuisine with exciting dishes using vegetables and protein alternatives in a way never used before. People are becoming more aware of vegan food’s health and environmental benefits, creating an exciting new market of vegan restaurants, from high–end gourmet restaurants to casual eateries.  Jam Delish – London, UK Jam Delish is an independent family-owned Caribbean vegan restaurant and cocktail bar in Angel, Islington, London. Starting out as a delivery-only kitchen in Wimbledon, the founders opened their first flagship restaurant just last month. From fish tacos or tofu skewers to meaty, deep-fried buttermilk oyster mushrooms, all dishes are served with glossy sauces, unusual vegetable purees, and tropical fruits. Besides its modern take on Caribbean food, Jam Delis’s cocktail …

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Vegan by Kikka

Vegan by Kikka © Kikka Sushi
Products & Launches

Kikka Sushi Launches Vegan Salmon & Tuna Sushi Into Whole Foods Markets

Kikka Sushi, a partner of Whole Foods Markets for over 30 years, announces the launch of a line called Vegan by Kikka, including vegan salmon and tuna sushi, into flagship Whole Foods Market stores. Kikka states it has embarked on a “five-year mission to create vegan products that satisfy the most discerning tastes with authentic flavors and textures”, starting out by switching out all white sugar for vegan sugar and avoiding bone char in all white rice products. The Vegan by Kikka line debuts with vegan salmon and tuna created with the root vegetable konjac, commonly used in the production of plant-based seafood, and the red algae, agar. The vegan fish offering is proprietary to Kikka and was created through a collaboration between Kikka Sushi …

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Sushi Vegan Zeastar

© Vegan Zeastar
Gastronomy & Food Service

Vegan Zeastar Presents “World’s First” Complete Range of Vegan Sushi & Poke Bowl Products

Shortly after the Netherlands brand launched its Shrimpz Family line of 100% plant-based shrimp, Vegan Zeastar now announces it is to premiere the “world’s first” complete range of vegan sushi and poke bowl products at Amsterdam’s Horecava event next week. At the event, Zeastar’s parent company Vegan Finest Foods will present its 100% plant-based sushi and poke bowl products including PETA award-winning Vegan Sashimis, the new Vegan Shrimpz No Tuna Flakes, Sushi Rollz, Black and Orange Fizz Pearlz and more. The complete range is palm oil free and offers food service companies the components for vegan nigiri, sashimi, uramaki, gunkan, handrolls or poke bowls. Introducing new alt meat brand The company also reveals that it will introduce a new brand of meat alternatives called Beastie …

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Vegan Frozen Sushi

©Konscious Foods
Products & Launches

Konscious Foods Launches ‘First-Ever’ Frozen Plant-Based Sushi and Onigiri

Vancouver food company Konscious Foods announces the launch of what it calls the “first-ever” plant-based frozen sushi and onigiri. Created in partnership with Protein Industries Canada (PIC), Merit Foods, and Canadian Pacifico Seaweeds, the new products are now available at Whole Foods Markets and Choices Markets in Vancouver, with more varieties and retail locations being added.  The new line consists of eight products, with four sushi and four onigiri rolls. Konscious says the items are made from non-GMO ingredients, and provide convenient and healthy snacks or meals. Konscious plant-based seafood alternatives are also available for restaurants, caterers and other commercial services. “At Konscious, our chefs create plant-based seafood that people can choose over traditional options for their own health and the health of the planet,” …

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Current Foods Sushi

©Current Foods
Investments & Finance

Current Foods Closes $18M Seed Round to Launch Plant-Based Smoked Salmon into Retail

Alt-seafood startup Current Foods, formerly known as Kuleana, has raised $18M in seed funding to accelerate the production and availability of its premium plant-based salmon and tuna, reports Forbes. The brand intends to launch the smoked salmon product into retail and expand it overseas to the Japanese market.  “The Beyond Meat of Seafood” Using ingredients such as algae, potatoes, peas and bamboo, Current says it uses processes similar to companies like Beyond Meat to recreate the textures of seafood from plants. Its smoked salmon and tuna also offer the protein and omega-fatty acid benefits found in conventional fish but with no cholesterol, more fiber and less sodium, the brand says.  “[We] feel we have invested in the Beyond Meat of seafood,” said Ray Lane, Managing …

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Omakaseed Vegan Sushi

©Omakaseed

Food & Beverage

Omakaseed at Plant Bar Bringing Exclusive Vegan Sushi Experience to NYC

Omakaseed at Plant Bar, a new plant-based sushi concept, will open on April 30 to bring innovative vegan sushi to NYC’s NoMad neighborhood. Created by the team behind the successful Sushi by Bou restaurant brand, Omakaseed will offer intimate omakase-style dining, where all of the meal’s dishes are specially selected by the chef. “Transforming vegan sushi” Omakaseed is being launched as a joint partnership by NYC bistro Plant Bar, hospitality agency SimpleVenue and the Vegan Warrior Project, an organization that connects restaurant kitchens to plant-based delivery concepts.  Led by Michelin-starred chef Roberto Romero,  the seasonal sushi menu will feature plant-based Japanese-inspired dishes like Watermelon Tuna with Pickled Kelp, Vegan Nigiri, and Sunomo Style Pulled Oyster Mushroom Salad. “Each omakase course will incorporate eclectic global flavors,” …

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YO! Sushi

©YO! Sushi
Gastronomy & Food Service

YO! Sushi Launches Vegan Set Menu as Fish-Free Sushi Goes Global 

YO! Sushi has introduced a new vegan Sakura set menu for two at all its locations across the UK. The international conveyor belt sushi franchise continues to expand its vegan offerings, with the new menu for two featuring seven courses and costing £25.  The new YO! Sushi Sakura plant-based set menu features a choice of Edamame, Mushroom Teriyaki, Faux Duck rolls, Loaded Gyozas, Veggie Volcano rolls, Red Pepper Dragon Rolls and DoughChi. The company offers a large range of vegan items on its menu and at the PETA Vegan Food Awards 2015, its Tofu Katsu Curry won in the category Best Vegan Curry.  Vegan sushi Vegan sushi is at the forefront of the alt seafood movement, with fish-free sushi making its way into foodservice channels …

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GTFO It's Vegan Salmon Sashimi/ Sushi

©GTFO It's Vegan
Food & Beverage

GTFO It’s Vegan Signs with KeHe and Sysco to Bring Best-Selling Vegan Sashimi Nationwide

Online retailer GTFO It’s Vegan announces it has obtained US national distribution for its plant-based sashimi through both KeHe and Sysco.  The distribution deal will bring GTFO’s private label sashimi line, which includes plant-based tuna, salmon, sailfish and calamari, to restaurants and grocery stores across the US. The brand’s tuna and salmon sashimi is also now available at Beyond Sushi, an NYC restaurant chain famous for its creative vegan sushi menu. GTFO’s extensive sashimi range first debuted in November 2021, and quickly became one of the company’s most popular product lines.  GTFO, launched in May 2020 by husband and wife Marc and Tanya Pierce, has set out to pioneer the “New Age Vegan Movement” by exclusively featuring the most innovative plant-based food items. According to …

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Vivera salmon

©Vivera

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Vivera Launches Plant-Based Salmon Fillets at Lower Cost to Real Salmon

Vivera, the Dutch plant protein producer acquired last year by Brazilian meat giant JBS, this week unveiled a plant-based salmon fillet which will be sold at €3.49 for two fillets, making the product cheaper than conventional salmon fillets, according to the brand. “Price is one of the major barriers for consumers of meat substitutes, and where they are usually more expensive than meat, it is now the other way round. I am curious to what extent this will drive trial,” says Karin Löwik, international marketing manager at Vivera. The salmon alternative, said to have a “fatty bite and flakey structure which falls apart like normal salmon,” was launched in the Dutch fishing village of Volendam where it was served to “the most critical fish lovers” …

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Kuleana

© Current Foods
Products & Launches

Kuleana Rebrands to Current Foods, Launches Sushi-Grade Vegan Seafood for D2C Market

Kuleana, the “Impossible Foods of seafood”, has revealed it is changing its name to Current Foods. The announcement has been made as the company launches its sushi-grade vegan seafood for the direct-to-consumer market. Current Foods has now opened its early access waitlist for consumers who are looking to buy its plant-based tuna and salmon. The products had previously only been available for foodservice, served at outlets such as Erewhon Market, Poké Bar, Blue Sushi Sake Grill, and Matthew Kenney Cuisine. The sushi-grade vegan seafood is made with ingredients such as radish, peas, bamboo, and algae. Current claims it is the first plant-based seafood to have comparable taste, texture, and nutritional value to the conventional variety. “Since we began our company journey 3 years ago, our …

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plant-based raw tuna

© Impact Food
Company News

Impact Food: Developing the “First Ever” Fully Plant-Based Raw Tuna

Impact Food is an alt-seafood startup from the University of California’s Haas School of Business. The company’s first product is plant-based raw tuna which replicates the flaky, delicate texture of the conventional variety. The startup’s founders are Kelly Pan, who is in charge of strategy and business development, Stephanie Claudino Daffara, who leads market research and design, and Adrian Miranda, who is responsible for product research and development. The three met on a course at UC Berkley’s Alt-Meat Lab. After extensive trial and error, the startup found that some plant starches and proteins are able to replicate the texture of raw fish. The founders also discovered ingredients that mimic the aroma and nutritional profile of seafood. The ingredients used have not yet been revealed. Approved …

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GTFO It's Vegan

©GTFO It's Vegan
Company News

GTFO It’s Vegan Now Has the Most Extensive Line of Vegan Sashimi in the US Market

Online retailer GTFO It’s Vegan announces its own line of vegan tuna, salmon, sailfish, and calamari sashimi products under its private-label — Great Foods, It’s Vegan — which it claims means GTFO now offers the biggest range of vegan sashimi in the US market. “This launch is another key step in our efforts to realize our mission of becoming one of the most important companies in this century to ensure the sustainability of our people and our planet!”  The platform, which says it is pioneering the “New Age Vegan” movement, launched in the US on May 15th 2020 and in just over a month it fulfilled over 1000 orders, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. A year and a half later, GTFO has fulfilled nearly 30,000 orders …

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Jacek Prus Kuleana

Jacek Prus ©Kuleana
Interviews

Kuleana: “Alternative Seafood is a Sleeping Giant, and We Have the Product and the Team to Put it On the Map”

Next-gen seafood company Kuleana has enjoyed a wave of recent success as alt seafood continues at the forefront of consumer minds, investor interest, and innovation. The young San Francisco brand recently launched its plant-based tuna into Poké Bar restaurants across North America and was even named semifinalists of the XPRIZE Foundation Challenge. “We’re creating #thenewschooloffish” Kuleana takes its name from the Hawaiian word for taking responsibility for balancing what we give and take from the earth and honors it by producing sustainable, plant-based seafood in the US. It entered the US seafood market at the perfect time, just last September, with its debut product being a raw tuna, as part of its mission to “create next generation seafood with plants and biotechnology.” We were fascinated …

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Wasabi Zalmon

©Wasabi
Products & Launches

Wasabi UK Extends Plant-Based Range with Vegan Salmon Sushi

British QSR chain Wasabi has added a plant-based salmon to its expanding vegan product line. The sushi and bento specialist has added a fish alternative called Zalmon produced by Vegan Zeastar to a vegan sushi box available now.  “It looks and tastes so much like salmon, even we can’t believe it’s not!⁠” Wasabi is a Japanese-focused fast-food restaurant chain based in the UK, which has around 60 locations operating primarily in London as well as in New York. Its vegan range has been steadily growing, with multiple offerings now available including Vegan Hatsu and Maki Set, Cucumber or Avocado Hosomaki Set, gyozas, and more. It has also teamed up with plant-based meat producer Quorn for previous collaborations.  The new Zalmon product comes in a plant-based …

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Vegan Zeastar

©Vegan Zeastar
Food & Beverage

Vegan Zeastar Expands Its Plant-Based Sushi into Spain After Success in Netherlands and UK

Sun-Rose Invest, based in Madrid, will be the new official distributor in the Spanish market for Vegan Zeastar‘s “Vegan Sashimi” and Vegan Zeastar’s “No Tuna” and “No Salmon”, as well as the Vegan Junkstar range of sauces. The Dutch producer also expanded into the UK in 2019 and last year debuted a vegan “cod” product offering a realistic fish and chips experience to consumers in the UK and Netherlands.

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© beeboys-stock.adobe.com
Society

The Women Working Hard to Make Japan a More Vegan-Friendly Country for Consumers and Businesses

One of the most unique countries on Earth, Japan is a land of contrasts and similarities, with strong traditions influenced by external powers over the centuries. Among the most populous, and fascinating, countries in the world, people travel from all over the world to get a taste of the Land of the Rising Sun, both figuratively and literally.

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Wildtype

©Wildtype
Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Lab-Grown Salmon Startup Wildtype Launches Pre-Order List to Mark Latest Product Iteration

Wildtype, a US-based startup producing lab-grown salmon, has announced that it is hoping to partner with selected chefs to get its sushi-grade product on the menu. While the company may not be ready for commercial production for several years, its new pre-order list marks the latest iteration of its product.

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