This Company Is Turning Tomatoes Into Vegan Tuna

Spanish start-up Mimic SeaFood has developed a unique plant-based tuna alternative, which is not made with soy or pea protein. 

The vegan Tunato is made with a tomato variety called Finggerino. It's a special tomato strain with a long and thin shape and unique texture. Finggerino was developed by another Spanish company, and it's grown in Almeria, in the south of Spain. 

In order to make vegan tuna, the tomatoes are first dehydrated, then seasoned with olive oil, algae extract, spices, and soy sauce. The resulting product resembles sliced sushi-grade tuna in shape and size. 

"We simply cut and peel the tomato; then it undergoes a flavouring process and baking to give it its final texture. The most important factor for us was to mimic an experience," Mimic SeaFood founder Pedro Alvarez Bretonesto told CompassList in an interview in 2019.

Mimic SeaFood was founded back in 2018 by Pedro Álvarez and Apolinar Amador, two food industry veterans, Silvia Morena and Ida Speyer.

Their plant-based tuna has been already available in shops and foodservice locations in Madrid and Barcelona, offering customers a more sustainable alternative to traditional sushi. 

According to the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), 13 per cent of the tuna population is currently considered overfished.