New Wave Foods, a biotech startup company founded in 2015, has unveiled a new synthetic meat substitute for traditional shrimp. The goal in mind behind providing this substitute is to reduce the environmental impact of practices such as trawling and intensive shrimp farming.
More than 6 million tons of shrimp are consumed globally each year and it is considered “the #1 consumed seafood in the US” according to Dominique Barnes, one of the founders of New Wave. The impact of shrimp harvesting is extensive. 38% of the world’s mangroves have already been destroyed to create shrimp farms. Despite this, our level of shrimp consumption is only increasing. In 2014 alone, consumption of shrimp in America increased by an average of 4 pounds.
What New Wave is offering through its product is an alternative that could lower the need to farm for shrimp as heavily and thereby lower our ecological footprint. Having anticipated consumer reticence towards embracing a new synthetic meat, New Wave took steps to make the synthetic meat more attractive to consumers. The synthetic shrimp is designed to look, smell, and even taste like real shrimp. Despite the fact the faux shrimp is made out of algae, it even changes color like real shrimp when cooked.
The hope is to provide a win-win situation in the sense that consumers could continue to enjoy foods they want, but without ultimately destroying our environment.
