Tinned seafood is swimming a budget friendly tide
The cost-of-living crisis continues to be a sore point for both restaurants and diners, with budget pressures putting the squeeze on perceived luxury items, including seafood. However, the rise in popularity of tinned seafood over recent years continues, from anchovies to oysters.
With the rising cost-of-living, canned seafood is still an affordable way to keep seafood on-hand. It also taps into what we know is an ongoing interest in delicious food that is functional and healthy. So tinned fish is ticking plenty of boxes; tasty, affordable, perceived as a cheeky luxury, but so very good for us.
“Tinned fish is an affordable way for us to access oily fish that are full of Omega 3s,” says Nutritionist, Lyndi Cohen. “It’s been an integral part of the Mediterranean diet for centuries and is a great way to preserve seafood and have it available for regular use.” Which makes it less susceptible to supply issues and price spikes. There’s also a lot to be said for its rise as a viral social media trend, from grilled fish served in the tin, to tunacado scoops and chopped salads.
Lab-grown meat is getting everyone’s attention
It hasn’t landed yet, but there’s a growing interest in the imminent availability of cellular agriculture products in Australia, with the recent FSANZ approvals for consumption. It’s possible that we might see cultivated meat available in Australia from next year and there’s plenty of interest from both consumers and the food industry.
While producers prefer the terms cellular agriculture and cultured meat, most consumers are taking a keen interest in what is commonly referred to as ‘lab-grown meat’ and are waiting to see how it plays out.
Cultured meat products are already on menus in Singapore – supplied by Australian company Vow – and now is the time for us all to start thinking about how it might fit into the dining landscape of Australia.
“It’s come a long way from when I first tried it,” Culinary Speaker and Chef, Adam Moore, told InSeason, referring to the burgers that were produced around six years ago and costing thousands of dollars. “It’s really exciting, because it’s changed so much from those early days,” he said, pointing out that scalability not only gives the products an ethical and environmental edge, but also keeps costs in check.
“What I have tasted, if you put it in a blind taste test you wouldn’t tell the difference.”
With the FSANZ approvals, the cultured meat topic has been popping up in news articles and industry discussions countrywide, and as it steps from science-fiction into real menus, we’ll only see more interest in it.
Real meat is as alluring as ever
Despite the chatter and intrigue around the rise of cultured meat, there’s still a strong place in Aussie hearts for a traditionally produced steak.
With the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants announced this month, it’s gratifying to see that Australia had 11 restaurants placed in the list, with six of those in the top 50. Testament not only to the quality production of red meat in Australia, but also our enduring love of it. And this is despite increased interest in meat-free and plant-based dining, as well as cost of living pressures.
With the quality of our steak now in the world’s spotlight, it looks like it will remain in demand on the menu.
Social media trends:
Potato crusts on pies: Like a reverse shepherd’s pie, this is the ultimate comfort food.
Vegemite mash ups continue: Now including a whipped Vegemite butter trend.
Cheeseboard wine glass toppers: Tiny cheeseboards perch on top of wine glasses are a show of mini luxury.
by InSeason Team 
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