Cell-Based Sushi Gets Contract To Hit Grocery Stores, Ahead Of US Approvals

Image via Wildtype

If things go swimmingly, cruelty-free, lab-grown salmon sushi could be a part of your daily meal rotation. Wildtype—a startup from San Francisco that cultivates seafood via cells—has inked deals with SNOWFOX, a chain with sushi bars in 1,230 grocery stores; and Pokéworks, a fast-casual restaurant wth 65 locations, to make cell-based salmon accessible for all budgets in the US.

The partnership is the largest and most direct one involving cell-based seafood in the nation, as reported by Food Dive.

Skipping the farming and fishing stages, Wildtype’s “salmon” is grown from living Pacific salmon cells in bioreactors resembling beer fermentation tanks, describes LIVEKINDLY. The cells are then placed in plant-based structures called scaffolds to develop into cuts of sushi-grade fish.

The cell-based version resembles wild-caught salmon not just in appearance and taste, but also in nutrition—sans the icky contaminants of microplastics, mercury, and antibiotics. The sustainable variety is on par in omega-3 fatty acid quantities and “performs as well as conventional salmon in typical sushi applications, and we’re confident people will love it,” describes Wildtype’s co-founder Justin Kolbeck.

Image via Wildtype / Business Wire

The startup is beginning with salmon as it is the “second-most consumed seafood in the United States after shrimp” and is being frequently purchased thanks to its great nutritional value and versatility. “It’s also badly overfished in the wild,” says Kolbeck, via LIVEKINDLY.

Just one hiccup: The sale of cell-based meat and seafood hasn’t received regulatory approvals in the US. As of now, Singapore is the only country that has authorized this growing category of food.

Until then, Wildtype is working to scale up its production. Its pilot plant can currently cultivate up to 50,000 pounds of seafood a year, but further configuration will allow it to supply 200,000. It is also in talks with the Food and Drug Administration to move the approval process along.

“We have been in close contact with FDA since 2019 and have been impressed by the Agency’s speed and thoughtfulness in approaching cellular agriculture,” notes Kolbeck.

When the sale of cell-based seafood finally gets greenlit, Wildtype salmon will first appear in fine dining restaurants. However, the company reassures that—with the go-ahead from the partnering SNOWFOX and Pokéworks—affordability will be the greatest catch with its offerings.

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[via LIVEKINDLY and Food Dive, images via Wildtype]