In a step that may be important for our future, 3D printed vegan salmon fish are now on the shelves of Austrian supermarkets.
The alternative fish fillet, called “THE FILET – Inspired By Salmon” and produced by food tech startup Revo Foods, is said to be the first 3D printed food to hit supermarket shelves. “With the milestone of industrial-scale 3D food printing, we are entering a creative food revolution, an era where food is produced exactly according to the customer’s needs,” said the company’s CEO, Robin Simsa, in a statement.
Like some other meat substitutes, the salmon alternative is produced from mycoprotein that comes from filamentous fungi. The product contains various vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids like the animal it was inspired by. It is also considered to be sufficient in terms of protein, with 9.5 grams per 100 grams, although it is less than the same amount of regular salmon.
Revo Foods worked with another startup, Mycorena, to develop mycoprotein specifically designed to be 3D printed. Researchers have been working on 3D-printed food products for several years, with items ranging from laser-baked cheesecakes to lab-grown meats.
Is 3D printing the solution to extinction and environmental problems?
Part of this effort is based on the belief that printed food alternatives can make food production more sustainable. Sustainability is a concern, especially in the fishing industry. An estimated 34 percent of global fish stocks are overfished, and populations are rapidly declining as fish are caught faster than they can reproduce.
At the same time, emissions stand out as a major problem in food production, which accounts for more than a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. 31 percent of these emissions come from livestock and fish farms, and 18 percent come from supply chain factors such as processing and transportation. The production of vegan salmon fillets uses 77 to 86 percent less carbon dioxide and 95 percent less fresh water compared to catching and processing conventional salmon, Revo Foods’ website reports.
It is not yet known how much demand the salmon alternative will encounter on the shelves. Revo Foods believes the key to the success of such products “lies in recreating a distinctive taste that appeals to the flexible market.”
But whatever the outcome of this first step, the commercial launch of 3D printed foods appears to potentially signal a new era in food production.
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