A Plant-Based Alternative to Seafood

By Lorrie Baumann

The world’s population is expected to grow by more than a quarter by 2050, from the current 7.7 billion to 9.7 billion, according to the United Nations. Much of that population growth will happen in some of the world’s poorest countries, where population growth will bring along hunger and malnutrition with it, said Liu Zhenmin, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

The world’s seafood supply can’t keep up with that demand, and the market needs alternative sources of protein that will appeal to consumers in cultures that now depend on fish as a major component of their diet, said Doug Hines, Chairman and Founder of Atlantic Natural Foods and a 40-year veteran of the global seafood industry. He sees Loma Linda TUNO as an answer to that problem. TUNO is a fish-less canned seafood alternative that’s made from a proprietary blend of ocean-based ingredients, including seaweed and algae, along with other ingredients like soy, yeast, sunflower oil and other natural ingredients. “In the seafood industry, the amount of seafood that’s being harvested has gone up. I think we’re looking at an optimization of the resource,” he said. “What’s happening is that as the world’s resources get stretched thin, we need to find other products…. The product has a value content to it. It’s an alternative protein that tastes good.”

Hines is running into some obstacles as he tries to get the word about TUNO to grocery retailers. The organizers of the Seafood Expo North America recently denied him permission to exhibit at the show on the basis that vendors at the show are restricted to those who produce seafood.

He’s arguing that grocers need to be aware of his product because consumers who are concerned about environmental sustainability, and particularly seafood sustainability, will find TUNO to be a product that answers their concerns. “The Millennials and Gen-Xers are demanding change. They want to eat what they want to eat, and they want you to be creative, and they want you to be sustainable,” he said. “They know what they want to eat, and they know how they want it prepared. They want it convenient…. It’s a revolution that we’re seeing out there.”
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TUNO is a Loma Linda product, which comes from Atlantic Natural Foods. The brand was originally created in 1890 as the first to manufacture soy milk. “A lot of these products were created on the ideas of John Kellogg,” Hines said. The brand was adopted by vegetarian consumers who belonged to the Seventh-Day Adventists religious group, and members of that community are still a major component of the brand’s consumer base today, Hines said.

However, consumers need not be vegetarians to enjoy TUNO, he said. Hines eats his own product regularly, in sushi rolls and salads, but he also eats seafood a couple of times a week, he said. “I believe in balance,” he added.

While TUNO appeals to consumers who are currently shopping for seafood, its presence in the market is no threat to the seafood industry, Hines insists. “We’re under $5 million. We’re delivering value to the consumer who wants a vegetarian option. There’s no intent to challenge the seafood industry,” he said. “Your consumer is the one who makes the decision – it’s not us. We try to be socially responsible in delivering what they want.”

Loma Linda will be launching a new product in May at the National Restaurant Association’s annual trade show. While he declined to be too specific about exactly what that product is ahead of its formal launch, it’s a shelf-stable product line, some with ocean ingredients for a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids, designed to appeal to consumers who don’t eat seafood or meat. “You can take this product, and in 60 seconds in the microwave, you have a completely plant-based, non-GMO and gluten-free meal,” he said. “We try to make it taste good.”