Richmond company making plant-based sushi, but is the region ready for it? Experts weigh in

Richmond, B.C. -

People in Metro Vancouver love their sushi, but will they love it without fish?

Yves Potvin is betting that the answer is yes. His new company, Konscious Foods, is making plant-based frozen sushi that can be purchased at the grocery store, hoping to capitalize on a region that appears to be embracing a more plant-focused diet.

"We know the traditional way of raising protein puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the environment," he told CTV News at the grand opening of his company in Richmond on Friday.

"I'm a flexitarian and a lot of people are flexitarians. They'd like to incorporate more plant-based (products) because they know it makes sense," he continued.

Experts say the anti-meat movement is booming in the province, so it's no surprise such a product exists locally.

"We live on the coast. People want that kind of taste and that kind of food, but they want it in a plant-based version," said Gail Hammond, a professor in the foods and nutrition department at UBC.

Whether it's for environmental, cultural or moral reasons, she said people are shifting to more of a plant-based diet.

She also said it's not just a trend, but it does come with challenges.

"It gets a bit more challenging to meet your body's needs for certain nutrients on plant-based diets, but certainly it is achievable," Hammond said.

Even with the growing popularity of plant-based diets, one food expert isn't convinced people will buy manufactured, plant-based sushi.

"Why would people want to trade when they actually enjoy sushi?" said Sylvain Charlebois, a Dalhousie University food professor and researcher.

"To be honest, I just don't see it."

He said plant-based meat alternatives served at fast food chains remain popular, but the success of retail plant-based products is yet to be determined.

He also said companies need to be competitive with pricing if they want to convince consumers to buy their plant-based products over meat items.

While Potvin said his prices are comparable to real sushi, Charlebois said they need to be lower.

"We just surveyed Canadians on plant-based products and the biggest problem is price. Right now, on average, plant-based solutions versus the real thing are 20 to 30 per cent more expensive," said Charlebois.

He reiterated that British Columbians do want to eat less meat.

"We have about 600,000 vegans in Canada. A quarter of them actually live in B.C. So the anti-meat movement in B.C. is pretty active. I certainly wouldn't undermine that," said Charlebois.

As the plant-based food sector diversifies, perhaps prices will lower, but experts raise concerns: plant-based doesn't necessarily mean healthy or eco-friendly.

Consumers are advised to do their research and read food labels.