Vegan ‘salmon’ adds competition to French market
Salmon producers face a new competitor in France, where a vegan "smoked salmon" has arrived in stores.
For more than two years, French researchers have worked to produce a "smoked salmon" for vegans. It is now being launched by a new company based in Bordeux.
The "smoked salmon" is made from a plant-based dough and has the same appearance, taste and texture as smoked salmon, but without a trace of salmon in it.
The main ingredient is the microalga Odontella aurita. According to francetvinfo.fr, the alga is currently the only marine microalga approved for human consumption. The alga is rich in iodine, omega-3, amino acids and proteins.
Algae are grown in large pools in France, and production times compared to farmed salmon are also considerably shorter. It takes only 15 days to produce a kilo of microalgae, and only three hours to manufacture the product.
France consumes approximately 40,000 tonnes of real smoked salmon per year.
"The competitive situation is taking place in the world's largest consumer market for smoked salmon (40K kg / year). Five per cent of French people are vegetarians or vegans, and 50% say they want to eat more plant-based diet. In this context, it is increasingly important to assure consumers that aquaculture can be both environmentally friendly and ensure good animal welfare,” writes France-based Norwegian Seafood Council employee Maria de Perlinghi, on LinkedIn.
The vegan salmon may have cut out out the meat, but it isn’t a cut-price option. It is being marketed at €60-65 per kilo.
A video showing how the vegan salmon is made can be seen here.
