BlueNalu strengthens Nomad Foods partnership following UK regulatory progress and strong consumer interest

BlueNalu has announced an expansion of its strategic partnership with Nomad Foods, reinforcing its commitment to bringing cell-cultivated seafood to market in the UK and across Europe. Nomad Foods is one of Europe's leading frozen food companies, headquartered in the UK. The company manufactures, sells, and distributes a range of branded frozen food products across 22 European markets, with a portfolio that includes iconic brands such as Birds Eye, Findus, and iglo. The move comes on the heels of BlueNalu’s acceptance into the UK Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) novel foods regulatory sandbox, making it the only USA-based company admitted and the only one focused primarily on cultivated seafood.

The announcement is supported by new consumer research indicating strong demand for BlueNalu’s first commercial product, cell-cultivated bluefin tuna toro. In a 2024 survey of 2,000 UK consumers who frequently eat sushi, 92% expressed interest in trying the product. Among the top motivations were the absence of common contaminants such as mercury, microplastics, parasites, and antibiotics, as well as the product’s potential high omega-3 content. Seventy-three percent of respondents said they would likely visit a sushi restaurant offering cell-cultivated toro, and 74% were willing to pay the same or more than they would for conventional bluefin tuna.

Lou Cooperhouse, Founder, President, & CEO of BlueNalu, emphasized the significance of this moment for the company’s international growth plans. “Our cell-cultivated bluefin toro offers a new, high-quality seafood experience – nutrient-rich, free from environmental contaminants, and designed to complement a global supply chain that is increasingly fragile and unpredictable,” he said. “We’re proud to work with trusted partners and forward-thinking regulatory agencies to deliver safe, consistent, and desirable seafood to consumers in the coming years. Our acceptance into the UK regulatory sandbox reinforces BlueNalu’s position as a global company at the forefront of food system innovation.”

The FSA’s sandbox initiative allows companies developing novel foods to engage directly with the agency to support product development and regulatory navigation. BlueNalu’s participation is a milestone in its efforts to commercialize cultivated seafood and reflects the UK’s growing openness to alternative proteins.

The partnership between BlueNalu and Nomad Foods, first established in 2021, is also entering a new phase. With encouraging results from consumer testing, the two companies will focus on go-to-market strategies in the UK. This will initially include high-end foodservice channels and limited-time menu placements, tailored to early adopters of sustainable and premium seafood alternatives.

“As a company that has a long history of successfully introducing innovative and great tasting fish and seafood products, we are excited to continue working alongside BlueNalu to bring this transformative technology to market,” added Carly Arnold, Chief RDQ Officer at Nomad Foods. “The goals of cell-cultivated seafood to offer alternative yet nutritious, safe and sustainable products aligns with our commitment to providing consumers with access to great tasting seafood that is both good for them and good for the planet.”

In parallel with its UK market efforts, BlueNalu has supported third-party academic research on product labeling terminology in the UK. A recent study concluded that terms such as 'cell-cultivated' and 'cell-cultured' were effective in conveying product identity and aligned with consumer expectations and regulatory requirements. The full pre-print is available to the public, reflecting BlueNalu’s ongoing commitment to transparency in the development of novel food technologies.

The company also noted that the UK expansion is part of a broader global push. Over the past year, BlueNalu has conducted nearly 10,000 consumer intercepts across eight countries to better understand regional preferences and expectations. These findings are informing its commercialization strategies not only in Europe, but also in the USA, Asia, and the Middle East.