NESTLÉ ADDS VRIMP TO ITS ALT-SEAFOOD LINE-UP AMID RAPID SALES GROWTH

Nestlé is strengthening its offerings in the alternative seafood market with the launch of Vrimp – a vegan shrimp substitute.

The introduction of this vegan alternative to shrimp comes amid growing interest among food companies large and small in plant-based and cultivated seafoods.

The new product, Garden Gourmet Vrimp, is made from konjac root, seaweed and peas. It has been debuted just over a year after Swiss-based brand – Nestlé – launched Vuna, a vegan tuna substitute.

Nestlé’s expansion of its plant-based seafood range follows significant media attention given to smaller companies specialised in producing similar foods.

Among them is The Plant-Based Seafood Co, which produces the Mind Blown Coconut Shrimp, another shrimp substitute derived from plants.

According to data from The Good Food Institute reported by CNN, sales of alternative seafoods jumped almost a quarter from 2019 to 2020.

The institute has also said that $116 million (€100m) was invested in the alternative seafoods in the first six months of this year – $26 million more than the total for 2020.

Meanwhile, a report released in April suggested the plant-based seafood market would grow at 28% over the coming years and would be worth $1.3 billion in a decade’s time.

As well as launching Vrimp, Nestlé also recently unveiled Garden Gourmet vEGGie, an egg substitute made from soy protein.

In related developments, Nomad Foods, one of Europe’s biggest frozen food makers, forged an agreement last month with the US-based BlueNalu to develop cultivated seafood products.

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