Vegan Tuna Alternatives Are Here—But Are They Healthy?
Two new brands of plant-based tuna launched today at Whole Foods and Thrive Market.
Most of us have seen meatless burgers, sausages, ground beef, and even chicken in our local grocery store, but vegan seafood has been slowest to hit the shelves. That’s all starting to change, however, with companies like Trader Joe’s releasing crab-less cakes earlier this year, and companies starting to produce vegan products for the masses.
"Roughly 40 percent of the world's population relies on seafood as their main source of protein—and while there are a lot of plant-based protein alternatives in the meat and poultry categories, seafood is virtually untouched," said Chris Kerr, co-founder and CEO of Good Catch told Entrepreneur.
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Good Catch, a producer of plant-based meat alternatives, released a line of vegan tuna at Whole Foods and Thrive Market today. According to an article in Entrepreneur, Good Catch spent over two years trying to replicate canned tuna’s unique texture and flavor with legumes and algae. The fish-free tuna pouches come in three flavors—Naked in Water, Mediterranean, and Oil & Herbs.
Good Catch tuna pouches range between 90-170 calories, 2.5-12 grams of fat, and 5-7g of carbs per serving. Each pouch contains 14g of protein, which comes from the company’s signature “6-Plant Protein Blend” of soy, chickpeas, lentils, peas, fava, and navy beans. The product is also gluten-free and made with non-GMO ingredients.
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According to the company’s website, Good Catch also plans to release meatless crab cakes, sliders, and burgers nationwide this fall.
"We see a big opportunity to offer a plant-based alternative that tastes great, without supporting the inherent problems of the seafood industry, including mercury, PCBs and microplastic health hazards, horrendous sea-life suffering and overfishing,” Kerr said.
Good Catch isn’t the only company selling plant-based tuna, either. Brands like Sophie’s Kitchen and Loma also sell their own vegan versions of the canned fish. Sophie’s Kitchen in particular, sells a wide variety of vegan seafood alternatives.