Schouten Europe introduces vegetable fish fillets

Substitutes for fish are booming. The number of introductions in supermarkets in Western Europe has grown exponentially in the last two years. This is why Schouten Europe is introducing a vegetable fish fillet in January 2023. 

The vegetable fish fillet weighs 120 grams and has a base of wheat and rice. "It is a nice airy product in which we have succeeded well in imitating the taste and texture of cod. The crispy layer, combined with the soft inside, makes it an attractive product" says Annemiek Vervoort, Product Manager at Schouten. The fillet can be eaten with a hot meal, on a sandwich or as "fish and chips".

Trend from the UK

The fish substitutes segment is relatively new within the landscape of plant-based products. Innova Market Insights recorded a large growth in the number of introductions within supermarkets in the UK for the first time in 2019. In recent years, the number of introductions also increased sharply in Germany. To a slightly lesser extent, this was also the case in the Netherlands. Dutch retail sales of fish substitutes in 2021 were €1 million, according to figures from IRI. In the first 32 weeks of 2022, sales amounted to € 610,000, compared to € 585,000 a year earlier. 

Schoutenfood.com