Fish & Seafood

Nomad, BlueNalu Unite to Bring Cell-cultured Seafood to Europe

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Feltham, England-headquartered Nomad Foods, Europe’s leading marketer of retail frozen food products, and San Diego, California-based BlueNalu, a developer of seafood products made directly from fish cells, have agreed to explore the introduction of cell-cultured seafood in Europe, where demand for sustainably sourced continues to grow. Europe is regarded as the largest destination for imported seafood in the world, with citizens consuming more than three times the volume of EU production.

The agreement represents the first of its kind in Europe between a consumer packaged goods company and a cell-cultured seafood company, and underpins Nomad Foods’ commitment to sustainable growth through the development and scaling of emerging food technologies. It also signifies a mutual interest in the commercialization of cell-cultured seafood in Europe to help meet rising demand and support wider efforts to safeguard the long-term availability of quality, affordable fishery products that are healthy both sustainable and healthy to consume.

Nomad Foods CEO Stéfan Descheemaeker remarked: “The food industry is at a transformational moment as consumer demand for nutritious, high quality food is growing. The importance of sustainability has never been more apparent, and the role of technology in delivering these needs is accelerating.

“We are at the forefront of a generational shift towards healthier, more sustainable eating and are delighted to announce our collaboration with BlueNalu. Their breakthrough technology in cell-cultured seafood perfectly aligns with our purpose and will enable us to continue to introduce innovative and great tasting seafood products that are good for people, good for the planet and accessible to all.”

Lou Cooperhouse, president and chief executive officer of BlueNalu, added: “As the latest IPCC report on the climate crisis demonstrates, the decisions we make over the next decade will have a profound impact on life on this planet for generations to come.

“We are excited by the opportunity to collaborate with Nomad Foods, which has revered, market-leading brands such as Birds Eye, Findus and iglo, to accelerate our market strategy in Europe. With this announcement, BlueNalu is well-positioned to bring our leading-edge innovation into Europe in the coming years, which complements our existing collaborations in Asia and North America.”

BlueNalu’s business strategy is to partner with leading multinational companies on market research, regulatory affairs, product design and development, manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution, with an aim to efficiently and effectively bring its branded cell-cultured seafood products to consumers worldwide. 

This latest collaboration with Nomad Foods follows agreements announced earlier with Pulmuone Co, Ltd. in South Korea, Sumitomo Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation in Japan, and Thai Union in Thailand.