After making a splash with its world-famous meatless burger, Impossible Foods is getting ready to shake things up in the fish market too. The California company known for whipping up patties made entirely of plants has set its sights on doing the same for seafood, in response to the growing market for plant-based foods and to tackle depleted ocean populations.
The move makes Impossible Foods the latest to enter the race to develop convincing and tasty artificial fish, either with plant-based recipes or laboratory techniques that allow scientists to grow fish from cells.
The fishing industry affects a number of marine conservation issues, including fish populations, water pollution, and habitat degradation. Replacing fish with fake meat could one day significantly decrease the size of the fishing industry and thus curb its environmental burden on our oceans. Still, it’s not certain the fake fish industry will thrive. Whereas people might prefer plant-based meat over red meat due to the health issues linked with it, the same is not true for fish.
This story was one of the best from 2019, and we are happy to include it in our “12 Days of Optimism” as we welcome in the new year!
