Cattle Network Freaks Out About Vegan Fish

A recent feature in meat industry magazine Cattle Network criticized plant-based alternatives to seafood. “We’ve already witnessed the rollout of a slew of plant protein-based shamburgers,” writer Dan Murphy says, “a variety of non-animal-based pseudo-foods, like cashew ‘cheez,’ vegan tofurkey and soy-based ‘chikin’,’ as well as—God help us—the atrocious holiday substitute ‘veggnog.”’ Murphy then discusses the emergence of vegan versions of fish, crab, and scallops—and a vegan fish sauce recently launched by Portland, OR-based company Tofuna Fysh—urging readers to “brace yourself for the latest faux food category being marketed to legions of oh-so-health-conscious veggie wannabes.” Murphy says vegan foods are not environmentally friendly as they use plastic packaging, are expensive, and not nutritious. Cattle Network implored similar tactics in an attempt to disparage the plant-based seafood industry in August, when the media outlet published a feature that called the act of dipping vegan lobster in plant-based butter a “double dose of dumb for dinner.” Cattle Network’s critique of plant-based fish alternatives comes during a time when conservation group World Wildlife Fund predicts that global fish populations will collapse by 2048 due to destructive fishing practices.