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

A new, Richmond-based company is betting that there will be a market for plant-based, frozen sushi that can be purchased at the grocery store.

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.