# Ethical Imitation Shrimp New Wave Foods Creates 100% Plant-Based Shrimp By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2017-10-23 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/plant-based-shrimp References: [livekindly.co](https://www.livekindly.co/vegan-shrimp-set-to-be-the-new-wave-in-ethical-seafood/) & [newwavefoods](https://www.newwavefoods.com/products/) For several years now, New Wave Foods has been working on the development of entirely [plant-based shrimp products](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vegan-seafood-options) that serve as an ethical, sustainable alternative to real seafood. There are many [mock meat products](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/forma-foods) that are created to mimic the look, taste and texture of real meat products, and New Wave Foods began by looking at real shrimp muscle at a molecular level. As co-founder Dominique Barnes describes: "we then used that data to select [plant and algae ingredients](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/plantbased-fish-product), which gave us the same texture as shrimp." New Wave Foods' plant-based shrimp is currently available to foodservice operators (post-secondary institutions, restaurants, resorts, food trucks, caterers etc.) and will be accessible for retail in select states as of 2018. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.1/10 - Popularity: 62% | Activity: 54% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Plant-based Seafood Products:** New Wave Foods' development of plant-based shrimp demonstrates the growing trend of ethical and sustainable alternatives to real seafood. - **Imitation Meat Substitutes:** The mock meat market continues to expand, with New Wave Foods utilizing molecular-level research to create a plant-based shrimp with the same texture as the real thing. - **Alternative Protein Sources:** The use of plant and algae ingredients in creating plant-based shrimp highlights the trend towards diversifying protein sources beyond traditional animal products. ### Where This Applies - **Foodservice:** New Wave Foods' plant-based shrimp is currently available to foodservice operators, providing them with a sustainable alternative to real seafood for their menus. - **Retail:** New Wave Foods' plant-based shrimp will soon be accessible for retail, addressing the growing demand for ethical and sustainable seafood options in select states. - **Mock Meat Production:** The development of plant-based shrimp by New Wave Foods contributes to the mock meat industry, which aims to offer consumers a variety of meat substitutes with similar taste and texture to real meat products. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Plant-Based Crispy Fried Shrimps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fried-shrimp.md) - [Crispy Coconut Shrimp Alternatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/crispy-coconut-shrimpz.md) - [Plant-Powered Shrimp Dumplings](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shrimp-dumplings.md) - [Plant-Based Seafood Brands](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/boldly-plant-based-seafood.md) - [Dusted Plant-based Scallops](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/plant-based-scallops.md) - [3D-Printed Shrimps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/3d-printed-shrimp.md) - [Cultured Oyster Alternatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/oyster-alternative.md) - [Plant-Based Squid Appetizers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/plant-based-squid.md) - [Frozen Seafood Alternatives](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/frozen-seafood-alternatives.md)