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FAQs

OUR PRODUCTS

Our plant-based tuna is designed to be a 1:1 experience to raw tuna based on taste, texture, mouth-feel, and application. It is not designed to be a 1:1 to raw tuna nutritionally.  Conversely, our cell-cultured tuna is real tuna and compares to the full properties of wild-caught tuna - minus the health concerns about contaminants such as mercury. Since our cell-cultured tuna is real tuna, this means the same seafood allergies apply.  We’re excited by the complementary nature of our plant-based and cell-cultured offerings as they provide an opportunity to diversify your menu by preference, whether it’s plant-based for lunch or cell-cultured by dinner.

Absolutely! Finless holds itself to the highest standard to ensure that its plant-based and cell-cultured tuna products are healthy and safe to consume, in compliance with all requisite standards. The plant-based product boasts all the health benefits of a whole, plant-based diet.  The cell-cultured product compares to wild-caught tuna, without the potential for environmental contaminants such as mercury.

In short, yes! It is 100% vegetarian and vegan. Our plant-based tuna currently is made entirely from ingredients that are not animal-derived. We intend to explore vegan certification.

Finless’ cell-cultured tuna is real seafood, like wild-caught or farm-raised, just produced in a different way.  It is not vegan or vegetarian.

We see Finless’ plant-based and cell-cultured alternative seafood products as additive, complementing the current landscape of sustainable and responsible wild-caught and farm-raised seafood products to provide consumers with more choices. Whether it’s plant-based for lunch, cell-cultured for dinner, or local, wild-caught on the weekend, it will help us reduce the pressure on our ocean while still satisfying our cravings.

HOW WE MAKE IT

See our diagram here.

At the most basic level, we take cells from a real tuna, feed them basic elements like salts, sugars, lipids, and amino acids, and grow them out in a safe and well-maintained environment using processes similar to those used when making cheese or microbrews. Like typical food processing, we harvest the cells and form them into the sashimi or tuna steaks that will be served on your plate.

See our diagram here.

The new product consists of nine whole, plant-based ingredients that are cooked and seasoned to mimic the taste and texture of tuna. It was specifically designed to act as a substitute for raw tuna in dishes like poke and spicy tuna rolls.

THE OCEAN & SEAFOOD

Read more about this here.

Yes! In fact, this is the entire reason Finless Foods was founded, and serves as our driving mission to this day.  We strive to create a future for seafood where the ocean thrives, and we do this by providing additional choices for you to enjoy sustainable and responsible seafood alternatives that satisfy your cravings, are good for you, and are good for the ocean.  

 

Our plant-based tuna allows you to enjoy the taste and texture of tuna in the dishes you love with all of the sustainability benefits of a whole, plant-based diet.  Our cell-cultured tuna is comparable to wild-caught tuna without placing additional pressure on global tuna stocks and the ocean.  Both options mean maximum enjoyment through healthy, delicious alternatives, with the knowledge that you’re supporting a thriving ocean in the process. 

Finless Foods was founded on the vision of making a positive impact for our ocean.  We prioritize the potential for impact and consult our Impact Advisory Board when deciding on product offerings and species selection. For us, starting with tuna was clear as global tuna populations have declined by 60% over the last 50 years, one-third of tuna stocks currently are fished at unsustainable levels, and tuna cannot be successfully farmed at scale. Specifically, two out of the three existing bluefin tuna species are classified as endangered by the IUCN Red List.  With the demand for tuna (and a preference for bluefin) ever-increasing, the need is greater than ever to source sustainably, thereby supporting healthy, wild populations for generations to come. 

 

We looked at this, and tuna’s important role in the health of the ocean, and thought ‘how can we produce more sustainable, responsible tuna to reduce the pressure on our ocean?’ The answer for us was clear, and so we started work on creating Finless’ cell-cultured tuna and now plant-based tuna.

OUR COMPANY

Absolutely! Tuna is the first of a variety of seafood products to come.  As we consider the product pipeline, ocean impact will remain a primary and key factor.

Finless Foods aims to make their plant-based tuna widely available to consumers by 2022 via restaurants and food service channels. 

Not yet. Our R&D and commercialization teams are hard at work, and we’re working directly with the FDA to ensure our product is safe, healthy, clearly labeled, and approved for market and sale.

We’re excited to welcome you into our Finless family!! To start, you can follow us on social media and check back at our website to catch our latest interviews, press, blogs, announcements, and more.

We use the term ‘cell-cultured’ (e.g. ‘cell-cultured tuna’) because it is scientifically accurate, representative of the process, and clearly describes what the product is, in a non-disparaging way.  For all these reasons, we do not support the use of the terms ‘lab-grown,’ ‘fake’ or other such terms. 

THE LATEST FROM OUR

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PBFA Interview Lauren L.

How Finless Foods is Working to Save the Oceans with Delicious Foods

Originally featured on Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) — the organization interviewed our very own, Lauren Latchford, Policy and Impact Manager at Finless Foods. With an extensive background in fish habitat protection and Atlantic highly migratory species management, Latchford was drawn to Finless Foods with an ambitious plan to dive into ocean conservation head first. Now equipped with an informed, sustainable mission and a delicious product to boot, Finless Foods enters this year poised to advance a future for seafood [...]