German discounter Aldi has announced that it is introducing a range of sandwiches with vegan tuna alternatives at the end of October, under the 'BettaF!sh TU-NAH' brand.
The sandwiches will be available from 25 October in Aldi Nord stores and 29 October in Aldi Süd outlets, priced at €2.49 and available in classic, sweet chilli, and 'sweet corn + pepper' variants.
The vegan tuna is sourced from the start-up BettaF!sh, which was funded by the retailer as part of its TechFounders accelerator programme.
Dr Nora Verfürth, director of corporate responsibility at Aldi Nord, commented, "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."
Sourcing Vegan Tuna
The vegan tuna is made from European organic seaweed that can be cultivated in the open sea without fresh water, arable land, or fertiliser.
In addition, natural vegetable extracts such as beetroot and paprika go into the making of the product, as well as proteins from organic fava bean.
BettaF!sh co-founder Deniz Ficicioglu, said, "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 consumed fish species worldwide and many stocks are now endangered.
The founders of BettaF!sh, Deniz Ficicioglu and Jacob von Manteuffel, have dedicated themselves to searching for sustainable fish alternatives for many years with their start-up.
With a range of around 400 SKUs labelled as vegan, Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd offer a wide range of products for vegans and anyone who wants to reduce the consumption of animal products.
'An Interesting Addition To Plant-Based Diet'
Dr Julia Adou, director of corporate responsibility at Aldi Süd, said, "With the 'BettaF!sh TU-NAH' sandwich, [we can] offer our customers even more variety in our vegan product selection. Vegan fish substitutes are an interesting addition to a purely plant-based diet and are currently on the rise for this reason."
In 2020, Aldi received the Vegan Food Award from the animal rights organisation PETA in the category 'Vegan Friendliest Supermarket', for its extensive product range.
Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd are actively involved in launching innovative products from start-ups under their own brand 'WHAT'S NEXT', to enable young entrepreneurs to enter the food retail sector and expand cooperation with start-ups.
As part of the start-up promotion with the Accelerator TechFounders, Aldi supports sustainable ideas from young founders - from the initial idea to implementation.
Earlier this year, the retailer announced a new collaboration with vegan influencer Philipp Steuer as part of its influencer marketing strategy.
In July, Aldi Süd introduced a new range of certified vegan cosmetics under its Biocura Nature private-label brand as part of a trial project. [Image Courtesy: Aldi Süd]
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Dayeeta Das. For more Private Label news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
