"Meat means a portion of beef, pork, poultry, alligator, farm raised deer, turkey, domestic rabbit, crawfish or shrimp that is edible by humans. But it does not include a synthetic product derived from a plant, insect, or other source, period" -- Louisiana Agricutural and Forestry Commissioner Michael Strain
New Wave Foods makes a plant-based faux shrimp alternative protein replacement for the crustacean. We asked Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain if this could be a challenge to the states seafood industry.
"They can't call it plant-based shrimp. Plants grow in the ground and shrimp grow in the Gulf and the sea," Strain says. "Louisiana is the largest shrimp producing state in the union. And the majority of seafood produced in the United States is from Louisiana waters."
Strain says it would be a tough sell in Louisiana because of the strict food labeling laws. It would have to be branded as imitation shrimp flavored product.
"You can call it a plant-based substitute for shrimp. Or you can call it a plant-based imitation shrimp. But it is not plant-based shrimp. Shrimp are not harvested from plants!" Strain emphasizes.
Arkansas' Tyson Foods has taken a 20% stake in New Wave Foods, a seafood maker headquartered in the seaside town Monterey, California but they don't own any boats. They make the shrimp from bioengineered ingredients from seaweed, algae, and soy, along with shrimp flavoring. The company says the taste and texture is just like shrimp.
But Ag Commissioner Strain says Louisiana's strict labeling laws would keep New Wave from calling their product shrimp. Despite the company billing itself in corporate logos as a maker of "sustainable seafoods".
"If they want to produce this and say 'listen, we have a plant-based imitation shrimp', then they can do that. But they cannot, and not in Louisiana, call it shrimp when its not from the water, period."