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We are more than halfway through Veganuary and we may be feeling a bit of vegetable fatigue. Sure, cutting out meat benefits the planet and our individual health, but, even with the best will in the world, it can be a challenge. Luckily, you can sate those meat and fish cravings with a range of plant-based vegan alternatives. Here’s a list of some of the best on the market, some being served by the world’s best chefs, and some about to upend the meat and fish markets as we know them.
World’s first vegan salmon fillets
The Israeli food tech start-up Plantish’s plant-based boneless salmon fillet is made from legume proteins and algae extracts, but looks and tastes very much like the real thing. What’s more, it mirrors the natural product's nutritional value as well, and is high in protein, omega-3s, omega-6s, and B vitamins. Unlike the farmed fish version, the Plantish salmon is free from mercury antibiotics, hormones, microplastics, and other toxins. The product is only at the prototype stage, but it can be cooked in exactly the same ways as the animal-based version, which means when it launches at pop-up locations at the end of the year, it is sure to make a big splash.
Redefine Meat
Chef Marco Pierre White isn’t averse to promoting food products, but his conversion to Redefine Meat something of a surprise. The start-up is dedicated to creating what they call ‘New Meat’ starting with plant-based ingredients, optimising them with AI and machine learning, and constructing them with advanced manufacturing and 3D printing. With a wide range of new meat products already available, like plant-based whole cut meats, ground meat products and even sausages, Israel's Redefine Meat is ahead of the rest.
UPSIDE lab-grown chicken
Three-Michelin-star chef Dominique Crenn is reportedly due to serve UPSIDE Foods’ lab-grown chicken at her flagship restaurant Atelier Crenn. UPSIDE Foods creates cultivated chicken using a small amount of animal cells that are grown into real meat outside of the animal in a bioreactor, so it's not technically vegan, but could definitely serve to reduce meat consumption for flexitarians. Crenn will provide culinary counsel and recipe development for the company and, subject to regulatory review, will eventually begin serving the product herself. “When I tasted UPSIDE chicken for the first time, I thought, this is it. This is the future of food. The look, smell, and sear—UPSIDE chicken is just delicious,” Crenn said. “People are finally waking up to the downsides of conventional meat production, which led me to remove meat from my menus several years ago.”
Good Meat cultured chicken
Chef and humanitarian José Andrés has partnered with Eat Just Inc., a maker of plant-based egg products on their subsidiary GOOD Meat and their ambitious plans for cultured chicken. Andrés has pledged to feature the chicken on one of his menus and plans to roll the product out to his portfolio of 30 restaurants subject to regulatory approval. That approval is expected to be granted this year and the product could soon feature on supermarket shelves thereafter.
Plant-based tuna on TIME 100 Best Inventions of 2021
Next-generation seafood company Kuleana made TIME magazine’s list of best inventions of 2021 for its plant-based tuna. It’s in very fine company too, on a list that also features the Covid-19 vaccine. The company’s “sushi-grade” plant-based tuna is made from algae, bamboo, radish, potato and koji. Kuleana claims that the product retains the same iron, vitamin B12, and omega fatty acid content as the real thing.
