Bluu claims "Europe's first market-ready" cell-cultured seafood

Their fish fingers and fish balls contain cultivated fish cells as the main ingredient and, according to the startup, “have been enriched with plant proteins to optimise cooking behaviour and mouthfeel”.

The products have reached market readiness and will soon enter the regulatory approval process. Bluu Seafood targets initial approval and market launch in Singapore by the end of 2023, as the regulatory process there is already well‐defined. The company will also apply for approval in the US, the UK and the EU.

In addition to fish balls and fish fingers, Bluu Seafood has also developed first prototypes of more complex products such as fillets and sashimi. The company's products are made using animal serum‐ free growth media and are based on proprietary, non‐GMO trout and salmon cell lines.

Founder and CEO Dr Sebastian Rakers explained in a press release: "With the completion of our first products, we can demonstrate visible and edible results after less than two years of operational work. This officially makes us the first company in Europe to produce cultivated fish. We are now working closely with regulatory agencies to clear the way for market launch and are using the time to focus on scaling."

Bluu Seafood combines cell and food technology to grow a variety of sustainable, tasty seafood products directly from animal cells without compromising animal welfare and with a significantly smaller environmental footprint than conventional fishing.

"Conventional seafood production has reached its limits as more than 90 percent of edible fish stocks are exploited to maximum levels, which poses a serious threat to marine ecosystems. With Bluu Seafood, we can make an important contribution to the supply of animal protein that allows us to manage our oceans in a way that conserves resources and hopefully also promotes biodiversity in this habitat that is so important to all of us," Rakers emphasised.