BANGKOK – February 16, 2023 – Thai Union, with Asian-inspired plant-based propositions such as the shrimp dumpling, is now attracting global interest. For example, the world's first plant-based shrimp dumpling is one of the finalists in the prestigious Gulfood Innovation Awards

 

The company’s Alternative Proteins business unit has created the world’s first plant-based shrimp dumpling, which was launched last year in supermarkets across Thailand to meet the growing consumer demand for healthy and environmentally friendly products.

 

In July 2022 Thai Union introduced plant-based shrimp dumplings as its latest innovation to its home-market Thailand to showcase the world its second plant-based innovation after plantbased tuna, marking a significant milestone for one of the world’s largest processors of shrimp, and reflecting its ambition to become a leading player in the plant-based sector. The company’s plant-based shrimp dumplings have since sparked interest from retailers and brand owners across regions. The dumplings fit the growing appetite for easy adoption of plant-based solutions with an Asian culinary experience. Later this year, Thai Union will launch its first branded plant-based offerings in Europe, partnering with some of the largest retailers and gaining exposure to hundreds of stores.

 

As a steamed or microwavable product, Thai Union’s plant-based shrimp dumpling brings fresh innovation to the plant category, currently dominated by burger patties and breaded, battered products. Thai Union entered the Gulfood Innovation Awards for the first time, with its plantbased shrimp dumpling making it to the finals.

 

Gerben Kamps, Global Business Development Manager of Thai Union’s Alternative Proteins business unit, said: “Our plant-based shrimp dumpling being named a finalist in this year’s Gulfood Innovation Awards, together with the market success this product already has in Asia, recognizes our strong efforts in the plant-based category over the past few years. We find great inspiration in the Asian cuisine and reinterpret them with plant-based ingredients. This has proven a successful angle for our products to find their way into everyday consumption.

Thai Union is playing a leading role in seafood-inspired, plant-based proteins. We’re committed to embracing the opportunities that alternative proteins present, such as creating more seafood consumption occasions and attracting new consumers into the seafood category – especially when we can leverage our production knowledge and capabilities together with partners.”

 

The winners of the Gulfood Innovation Awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. Thai Union Alternative Protein will be at Gulfood from February 20-24, 2023, sharing product innovations such as the award-winning plant-based shrimp dumplings and providing more insights to F&B companies from more than 120 countries on how brands can partner with them to bring plant-based products into the mainstream. Visitors, potential partners and journalists will find the Thai Union stand in the Power Brands Sector in Hall 7, Stand B7-30.

 

About Thai Union

Thai Union Group PCL is the world's seafood leader, bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for 45 years. Today, Thai Union is regarded as one of the world's leading seafood producers and is one of the largest producers of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 141.0 billion (US$ 4.5 billion) and a global workforce of more than 44,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable, innovative seafood products. The company’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar, Hawesta, and Rügen Fisch, Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, OMG Meat, Bellotta and Marvo, and ingredient and supplement brands UniQ®BONE, UniQ®DHA and ZEAvita. As a company committed to “Healthy Living, Healthy Oceans,” Thai Union is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, a founding participating company of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), and current Chair of Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS). Thai Union's ongoing work through its SeaChange® sustainability strategy was recognized when the company was listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the ninth consecutive year in 2022. The company was ranked number one on the Food Products Industry Index of the DJSI, a position it previously held in 2018 and 2019. Thai Union was also named to the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for the sixth straight year in 2021. Find out more about the Group’s sustainability at seachangesustainability.org. thaiunion.com