Aldi, a German bargain retailer, has announced the launch of vegan tuna replacements in sandwiches under the trademark ‘BettaF!sh TU-NAH’ at the end of October.
The sandwiches will be offered for €2.49 in the original, sweet chili, and’sweet corn + pepper’ variations starting on October 25 in Aldi Nord shops and on October 29 in Aldi Süd stores as promotional goods.
The vegan tuna comes from BettaF!sh, a start-up that the retailer backed as part of its TechFounders accelerator program.
Dr. Nora Verfürth, Aldi Nord’s director of corporate responsibility, is pleased with the outcome, saying,
“We are pleased that we were able to support the start-up with our know-how to bring its product to market maturity – the result speaks for itself.”
Tuna that is vegan
The vegan tuna is manufactured from European organic seaweed that can be grown without fresh water, arable land, or fertilizer in the open sea.
In addition, natural vegetable extracts such as beetroot and paprika, as well as proteins from organic fava bean, are used in the production of the product.
Deniz Ficicioglu, a co-founder of BettaF!sh, says, “By establishing seaweed in our food culture, we want to increase the demand for these unique seafood products and, in the long term, build a sustainable as well as regenerative alternative to fishing throughout Europe.”
Tuna is one of the most popular fish species in the world, and several stocks are presently threatened.
Deniz Ficicioglu and Jacob von Manteuffel, the creators of BettaF!sh, have dedicated their start-up to finding sustainable fish alternatives for many years.
Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd offer a large choice of items for vegans and anyone who wants to minimize their use of animal products throughout the year, with about 400 vegan products.
‘An Interesting Addition To Plant-Based Diet’
Dr Julia Adou, the director of corporate responsibility at Aldi Süd, said, “With the introduction of the ‘BettaF!sh TU-NAH’ sandwich, we are able to provide our customers with even more choice in our vegan food selection. Vegan fish replacements are a fun complement to a Plant-Based diet, and they’re becoming more popular as a result.”
For its vast product range, Aldi got the Vegan Food Award from the animal rights organization PETA in the category of ‘Vegan Friendliest Supermarket’ in 2020.
Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd are actively involved in releasing innovative items from start-ups under their own brand ‘WHAT’S NEXT,’ in order to encourage young entrepreneurs to enter the food retail business and to increase their collaboration with start-ups.
Aldi helps young entrepreneurs’ sustainable ideas from conception to implementation as part of the start-up promotion with the Accelerator TechFounders.
As part of its influencer marketing strategy, the company launched a new cooperation with vegan influencer Philipp Steuer earlier this year.
As part of a trial project, Aldi Süd launched a new line of certified vegan cosmetics under its Biocura Nature private-label brand in July. [Photo credit: Aldi Süd]
