— The oceans are one of the most regenerative food systems on earth, yet frequently overlooked as being “part of the food system,” according to speakers participating in the “Making waves: Emerging brands driving innovation in seafood CPG” session held March 10 at Natural Products Expo West.
Food from the sea includes fresh, frozen, canned, value-added, processed and packaged seafood, as well as foods formulated with sea-grown plants like algae and kelp.
The drop in sales reversed an upward trend that featured record sales during the pandemic, although seafood sales were still higher in 2022 than in 2019, driven in part by shoppers’ desire to eat healthier and include more environmentally friendly options in their diets, according to the report.
One of the challenges in the United States with seafood is most consumers only want to eat it fresh, whereas in other countries, canned seafood is embraced, as are seafood snacks, such as jerky, kelp chips and seaweed puffs.
This was the inspiration that led Charlotte Langley, a chef and co-founder of Scout, to create the line of tinned fish, a category that has started gaining traction in the United States.
“Our new Scout Seafood Snacks feature toppers packaged separately from responsibly sourced yellowfin tuna to bring instant flavor, intensity, texture and color,” Mr. Bent said.
Varieties are chili crisp, which includes a spicy, savory and slightly sweet mixture of chili peppers and aromatics; Chile jalapeño, which is a nod to the variety of chilies and flavors of Mexico where Scout’s yellowfin tuna is sourced; and za’atar, which features a blend of spices from the Middle East.
Atlantic Sea Farms, for example, is introducing new and sustainable ways to grow regenerative kelp.
1 ingredient in the vegan, gluten-free 2.5-oz frozen patties, which also contain chickpeas and pea protein, among other ingredients.
Tidal Foods, San Francisco, offers 12 Tides Organic Kelp Snacks.
To get the youngest generation of consumers more interested in foods from the sea, Sea Monsters Inc., New York, created a puffed seaweed and sorghum snack.
Steve’s Family Foods, Van Nuys, Calif., is trying to do the same with its Alaskan Salmon Nuggets.
Triton Algae Innovations, a San Diego-based startup launched Too Good To Be Asian-style frozen dumplings with a cabbage, onion and alternative pork filling at Expo West.
“While the alternative meat industry has been experiencing some challenges of late, we don’t believe this means investors and consumers are no longer excited about this sector,” said Xun Wang, president and CEO.