John West has announced the launch of two new vegan ‘tuna’ products, ‘Vegan Fish-Free Tuna with Tomato and Basil’ and ‘Vegan Fish-Free Tuna with a Dash of Oil’ in the Netherlands.
The canned fish brand is offering Dutch consumers vegan fish-free tuna made from soy protein and wheat in 1,400 stores. The products are available in pouches containing either tomato and basil, or brine and oil.
John West says the Vegan Fish-Free Tuna is Thai Union’s response to the increased demand for alternative protein products, and specifically plant-based alternatives in The Netherlands.
Marine Protein Opportunities
At the beginning of 2023, Thai Union launched its new Marine Proteins business unit in Europe, which aims to capitalise on the marine protein opportunities through leveraging its global R&D and commercial resources.
John West Vegan Fish-Free Tuna is the first branded product from marine proteins. The business unit plans to introduce more alternative protein products later this year.
‘A Major Milestone’
“John West Vegan Fish-Free Tuna is Thai Union’s first branded alternative protein product launch worldwide and therefore a major milestone for us,” said Jon Burton, business unit director, European Marine Protein.
“We will enter other European markets later this year with more innovative alternative protein products to bring game-changing innovation to the ambient category.”
Flexitarian Diet
According to Innova Market Insights, 42% of the Dutch population follow a flexitarian diet, the highest rate of all countries in the EU.
Furthermore, recent research from John West found that Dutch consumers are keener to try alternative seafood compared to other nationalities and are more likely to want a product comparable to fish in terms of appearance, taste and texture.
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest A-Brands news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
