Yum! Pond Scum!

Salmon may be delicious, but there are two problems: their numbers are dwindling in the wild and the (unwild) fish farms are harming the environment.

The solution could be pond scum. International food conglomerate IFF is teaming up with SimpliiGood, an Israeli “foodTech” start-up, to develop the first smoked salmon that contains zero percent salmon. It does contain 100% algae, however. The kind that grows in ponds.

Their press release: “The plant-based salmon-like cut is uniquely crafted to take on the appearance, color, texture, and flavor of smoked salmon, yet without the ocean pollutants that living fish are commonly exposed to. These include compounds such as mercury, fossil fuels, and industrial waste. Composed of 100% pure, fresh, minimally processed spirulina, it is a clean-label product and is 40% complete protein.”

Spirulina is algae, cultivated all over the world and dense with nutrients; it is usually processed into dietary supplements. If the foodTechies manage to transform it into an approximate flavor and texture of salmon, it could be the next big thing in plant-based food.

The population of wild salmon has been on the decline for decades, chipped away by overfishing, habitat loss, climate change – the usual. Meanwhile salmon fish farms generate a lot of pollution, and spread lice and disease into the wild population (which has enough problems).

The SimpliiGood faux-salmon is expected to be marketed by the end of next year.

Photo credit: PRNewsfoto / SimpliiGood