Great news for vegans and vegetarians: The development team of Osem-Nestle today (Tuesday) launched a new product - a vegan tuna substitute, that is, tuna from the plant, which will be marketed worldwide under the name VUNA.
The tuna from the plant will be produced in Israel and will be marketed in many markets around the world.
It is a product made from plant protein, soy protein and pea protein and is similar in taste and texture to tuna.
In the first phase, the product will be marketed in Israel in the professional market, which includes restaurants, cafes and more, and later it will be marketed to the private consumer.
First, the product will be incorporated in the Landover chain kitchens, which will serve three dishes in which it will be combined: a VUMA sandwich with avocado and pickled lemon (NIS 44), a vegan Nisswaz salad (NIS 61) and a VUNA spread that will be included in the chain's vegan breakfast.
When it comes to nutritional values: The new product contains 206 calories per 100 grams of food, compared to 194 calories per 100 grams of vegetable oil after filtration and 18 grams of protein compared to 26 grams of regular tuna.
The product contains 13% fat compared to regular tuna, 300 mg of sodium compared to 390 mg of regular tuna, 0.5 carbohydrates vs. 0 carbohydrates of regular tuna and 7.7 grams of dietary fiber vs. 0 grams of regular tuna.
However in the new product there is no omega 3 like in tuna.
VUNA, vegan tuna, Photo: PR
The tuna market in Israel is estimated at NIS 700 million.
About a million dishes with tuna are ordered each year in restaurants, with the most popular dish being tuna salad.
To date, according to the company, the three million people in Israel who identify themselves as half-baked, meaning that they choose to include less animal food in their diet and are looking for an alternative protein, has not been a worthy replacement for the most popular fish in Israel.
Bassem-Nestle also notes that over 44% of Americans, 65% of Europeans, 42% of Chinese, and 30% of Israelis have already stated that they reduce eating meat, poultry and fish out of a desire to maintain planetary sustainability, health or emotional reasons.
"The launch of the product is a continuation of the development of a nutritional vision of young Israelis: the late Dr. Micha Shemer and Gazi Kaplan who grew up in Kibbutz Lohamei Haghetaot and 40 years ago thought that this world would be better if it was based on a vegetarian diet and founded Tevol," says CEO To Osem-Nestle, Avi Ben Assayag.
"They were both visionaries who saw before their eyes a reality in which humans would be based not only on animal protein but on plants. They saw that the path the world was treading was unsustainable. Today the young generation that develops and invents products continues, their sons Dr. Maoz Gruper "The group's chief scientist."
"Today, the vegetable industry, which is based on vegetarianism, is rolling in several billion dollars worldwide and it started here in the State of Israel. We are completing the construction of a natural plant in Kiryat Gat, which is undergoing ghetto fighters. New, today we are firing an opening shot because we are taking the world of veganism and vegetarianism to the sea. "
"We are paving a new way of opening a wide range of products based on sea fish, all of which are vegetarian and vegan. Today we are launching the first product that is an Israeli development. There were other Nestlé teams working on the same solution. Our team created a product that beat everyone and the Israeli product "It should be exported to the whole world, when it's the opening shot. It will start with vegan tuna and it will continue with a series of solutions."
"It's a gateway to a new world. We'll soon see a steak of fish and chunks of tuna that are in development labs and have hit the market. In vegetable protein you see a crazy momentum in the world. In a few years it will roll in hundreds of billions of dollars. ".
VUNA, vegan tuna, Photo: PR
"This industry is evolving because these products have become tastier and closer to the real thing. When the Nestlé friends came with Sensational I asked to compare it to the best regular burger in town. On the tuna team it was the closest thing to the real thing."
"In addition, these products are much healthier and we know exactly what they contain, how much protein and what their origin is, how perfect and less perfect it is and that is a challenge. Not every protein offers all the amino acids we need. There is an industry here that is important and critical. Being much more crowded with humans and resources becoming much more crowded and we need to think about sustainable nutrition solutions. The global meat and dairy industry is largely responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. People have more money and less pasture and water so the food industry needs to find new solutions to feed. the world".
"If we continue to consume the milk from the cow or protein from the cow, sheep or any living creature there is no chance that the food industry will reduce its emissions. The only way is to find alternative solutions and that is what we do. I have no doubt it will continue to grow. The growth rate we can see against Our eyes are huge in scope because the circle of people who enter is large. "
Regarding the sales potential of this product in the world, Ben Assayag said: "It is an evolution. New products are growing slowly, but it will certainly not reach tens of millions of dollars in a short time."
Hagit Adler, CEO of the professional division at Osem-Nestle, added that "Vena is the new tuna.
For us it is the hottest topic in food.
Everyone invests huge sums in Food Tech.
The vegetarian population is growing and has reached 10%.
Already over 30% attest to the fact that they reduce eating meat.
Nestle already has an alternative to eggs and seafood in the world and we are pioneers in the field of fish.
It is challenging because just because a consumer is vegetarian or reducing it does not mean he wants to compromise. "
