All the fish that’s fit to print.
The world’s first 3D-printed vegan salmon is currently swimming off the shelves in Austrian supermarkets — and its creator has high hopes for the futuristic filets.
“With the milestone of industrial-scale 3D food printing, we are entering a creative food revolution, an era where food is being crafted according to the customer needs,” said Robin Simsa, CEO of Vienna food tech startup Revo Foods.
“We are not just creating a vegan alternative; we are shaping the future of food itself,” Simsa boasted.
The 100% vegan protein-packed fish alternative is comprised of fungi as well as omega-3, all nine essential amino acids and vitamins A, B2, B3, B6, B12 and D2, according to Revo. It contains no sugar, gluten or cholesterol.
Revo worked with fellow food startup Mycorena to create a type of mycoprotein, a protein that comes from a fungus, specifically made to be 3D-printed, IFLScience reported.
The product is already sold out on Revo’s website, where it retails for about $7.50. The company currently ships to Austria and Germany and will ship to the rest of the EU countries beginning in October.
In response to a comment asking when the food would be available stateside, a representative for the brand wrote: “Hopefully soon!! Stay tuned ❤️🔥.”
Revo brands itself as a “seafood company that saves fish,” stating that more than 18,000 fish have been protected since production began. According to their website, the vegan version produces 77% to 86% less CO2 than regular salmon. They also use 95% less fresh water.
Meanwhile, the Israeli firm Steakholder Foods created the first-ever 3D bio-printer grouper earlier this year.
The grouper, which was created in partnership with Umami Meats, “is ready to cook upon printing and will not harm the environment, like fishing,” Umami Meats CEO Mihir Pershad told South West News Service. Steakholder Foods uses cells from fish and other animals to grow meat and protect animals.
Also earlier this year, the US Department of Agriculture gave two different makers — Upside Foods and Good Meat — permission to sell “cell-cultivated” meat that doesn’t come from animals that have been killed.
This was just months after the Food and Drug Administration deemed cell-cultured lab-made chicken safe to eat.
Unlike Revo’s food, which contains no animal products, lab meat is made from cells that come from a living animal, a fertilized cell or a bank of stored cells. It’s grown in bioreactors.