Bettaf!sh Launches Vegan Tuna With Continente Food Lab in Portugal

From vegconomist.com

Berlin-based food start-up BettaF!sh has introduced a new plant-based canned tuna alternative, TU-NAH, to Portugal’s seafood market. The product, made from European seaweed, fava beans, and peas, will be available at 12 high-traffic Continente stores across the country.

                                                                                                        ©BettaF!sh

Portugal’s love for seafood

Portugal, known for its high seafood consumption—averaging more than 10 kg per person annually—presents a significant market for alternatives to traditional fish products. The country generates over €1.2 billion in seafood revenue each year (Statista, 2025), underscoring both its strong culinary tradition and the demand for more sustainable options.

Deniz Ficicioglu, CEO and Founder of BettaF!sh, noted, “Portugal’s deep love for seafood inspired us to introduce BettaF!sh TU-NAH here – as a celebration of ocean flavour, not ocean depletion.” The product is designed to replicate the taste and texture of traditional tuna while offering a sustainable alternative. TU-NAH is free from soy and wheat, and contains no methylcellulose, making it suitable for a variety of dietary needs.

TU-NAH’s composition includes seaweed, fava beans, and pea protein, providing a high-fibre and protein-rich option. The product is marketed as ready to eat straight from the can, ideal for sandwiches, wraps, salads, or traditional Portuguese dishes like Salada de Atum.

The product will be available at Continente locations in cities such as Matosinhos, Amadora, and Lisbon’s Vasco da Gama and Colombo shopping centres. Continente, Portugal’s largest retailer with a history spanning 40 years, has been actively expanding its food offerings to include more sustainable products.

Seaweed-based approach

                          ©BettaF!sh

                                    

BettaF!sh, which is also involved in developing seaweed-based ingredients for the wider food industry, is supported by investors focused on climate and sustainable food initiatives, including Pale Blue Dot, Astanor, and Mudcake, among others. The company is also involved in the EU-funded FunSea project, which aims to further advance research into plant-based seafood products.

Marlos Silva, R&D and Innovation Director at MC Sonae, which oversees Continente, explained, “The numbers reflect both a rich culinary tradition and the urgent need for sustainable alternatives. That’s where BettaF!sh steps in. We especially appreciate their innovative seaweed-based approach to rethinking seafood from the ground up.”

https://vegconomist.com/products-launches/bettafsh-launches-vegan-tuna-continente-food-lab-portugal/

Bafta Guests Served Vegan Caviar As Part Of More Sustainable Menu

From plantbasednews.org

The luxury food can be made without fish eggs

Caviar made from seaweed instead of fish eggs was served at the Bafta Awards as part of the charity’s efforts to promote sustainability.

Around 2,000 guests were served a three-course menu at the Southbank Centre in London after the awards ceremony. The caviar came in reusable tins featuring the Bafta mask, served with sourdough bread.

The Baftas served around 2,000 guests a dinner that included vegan caviar - Media Credit: Peter Vallance / Alamy Stock Photo

There were other plant-forward items on the menu, including pickled or parfait organic mushrooms from Sussex as the starter. The meat-free option for the main was roast crown prince squash and zero-waste root vegetable bhaji.

Bafta promotes sustainability in the film and television industry through its albert programme. Albert provides tools and guidance for the industry to reduce its environmental impact, including how to create content that promotes climate action.

More sustainable caviar

Rimma Bondarenko / Alamy Stock PhotoFamous chefs including Aleix Gauthier and Kirk Haworth have made caviar from seaweed

Bafta guests are not the first to have enjoyed vegan caviar. It is becoming a more common alternative, with several producers and restaurants such as Gauthier Soho offering it for sale. Plant-based chef Kirk Haworth won the fish round of Great British Menu with seaweed caviar.

Caviar made from fish eggs, known as roe, is often regarded as both cruel and unsustainable. European sturgeon are on the brink of extinction due to their eggs being harvested for caviar, as the fishes are killed to extract their eggs. There are regulations in place that are supposed to protect wild sturgeon and help their numbers recover. But genetic testing of caviar samples from Eastern Europe have revealed that half of commercial caviar has been harvested illegally.

Farmed sturgeon is often described as more sustainable, with some farms being “no-kill” producers. But this still involves handling the fishes, including making incisions to get their eggs out.

https://plantbasednews.org/culture/events/bafta-vegan-caviar/

Seaweed as the future vegan protein: Scientists unlock its hidden nutritional treasure

From hindustantimes.com

Scientists have cracked the code for extracting protein from seaweed, and it might just change how we think about the future of sustainable vegan protein

Scientists have unlocked seaweed's hidden nutritional treasure, and they say proteins from seaweed have the potential to become an important food component. According to a report published in the journal Food Chemistry, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have found a new way to extract these proteins three times more efficiently than before.

More about sea lettuce

Sea lettuce, a type of seaweed, is a sustainable protein source, and researchers have tripled its extraction efficiency, paving the way for innovative food applications, according to the researchers. The protein found in sea lettuce offers a promising addition to both meat and existing alternative protein sources. Additionally, seaweed is rich in essential nutrients and can be cultivated without the need for watering, fertilizing, or insecticide use.

Seaweed, such as sea lettuce, is grown in tanks containing water that was previously used in the seafood industry. Through this cultivation, they take up nutrients that would otherwise have been discarded. 

(Credit: Sophie Steinhagen)

Sea lettuce is a type of macroalgae, commonly called seaweed, that grows on rocks in calm waters or free floats on the surface. In appearance, it resembles ordinary lettuce leaves. “It tastes like umami with a certain salty flavour, despite not containing such high levels of salt. I would say it’s a great flavour enhancer for seafood dishes and products, but the possibilities to explore are endless. Why not protein smoothies or ‘blue burgers’ from the sea?” says Joao Trigo, PhD in food science at Chalmers, about the dark green powder, which is a concentrate of proteins from sea lettuce, scientifically known as Ulva fenestrata.

Why this sustainable new vegan protein matters

The so-called protein shift, switching from red meat to more sustainable and healthy protein sources, is a way to reduce the climate impact of food production while providing everyone with a nutritious diet, say the researchers. Many alternative protein sources, mainly based on peas, soy, and mushrooms, are common in our grocery stores. But all the vegetarian protein found under the sea is still an untapped source.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

https://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/health/seaweed-as-the-future-vegan-protein-scientists-unlock-its-hidden-nutritional-treasure-101732074528234.html 

Vegan Bacon Made From Seaweed Wins James Cromwell’s Approval

From plantbasednews.org

Seaweed is a sustainable, renewable, cruelty-free ingredient 

Umaro Foods has launched its “meaty” vegan bacon in US Michelin-starred restaurant Sorrel.

The California start-up, which recently bagged a $1 million deal with Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban, uses patented red algae protein extract to make its realistic-tasting bacon. According to the brand, it’s this ingredient that gives the product its signature meat-like mouthfeel.

Umaro CEO Beth Zotter said: “We’ve nailed crispy bacon.”

“We’ve found a way to use seaweed in a totally new way to improve not just the meat, but also the unmistakable taste and texture of bacon fat.”

The ingredient is also good for the planet. It’s renewable, it requires very few resources, it absorbs carbon dioxide, and it improves water quality. Plus, unlike traditional bacon, it doesn’t impact animals.

Umaro uses red algae to make its "meaty" bacon - Media Credit: Umaro Foods

The meat industry slaughters millions of pigs every year. But before that, a majority of these animals spend their lives on factory farms. There, they often live in cramped, dirty conditions.

According to The Humane League, pigs are also “genetically manipulated” to grow quickly, increasing their risk of conditions like arthritis.

Seaweed bacon, however, is a cruelty-free alternative. It has even caught the attention of James Cromwell, an actor and activist known for appearing in the 1995 film Babe.

Cromwell recently wrote to Zotter and co-founder Amanda Stiles, awarding them the “Vegan Game Changer Award” on behalf of PETA.

He said: “You may know that I went vegan after spending time with a smart, social young pig on the set of Babe.”

“It was a truly life-changing experience and certainly a diet-changing one. I’m delighted and appreciative that you are helping to spare other pigs pain and suffering, and I wish you great success.”

As well as Sorrel, Umaro Foods’ vegan bacon is also being added to the menu at Egg Shop Cafe in New York City and D’Andrews Bakery in Nashville. 

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/vegan-bacon-seaweed-james-cromwell/