Count Your Future Fish Fingers

As a boy, I loved fish fingers and they became a regular Friday night treat alongside tasty mashed potato, tinned peas and parsley sauce. Even today, I fancy the occasional fish finger, whether on a sandwich or alongside a delicious salad. But fish fingers are about to change and Captain Birdseye will be jumping overboard when he hears the news.  

According to recent German research, our loveable fish finger, grown in a test tube, could hit the high street in the next two years. Yes, grown in a test tube and supermarket freezers, currently dominated by the Birdseye fish giant, are suddenly under threat. 

The new 'test tube' fingers are made by taking cells from an adult fish which are then multiplied in a laboratory and grown in a huge numbers in a bioreactor. German firm Bluu Biosciences has recently announced that lab-grown fish will initially be used to make products such as fingers, with fish fillets following later. Their company boss, Dr Sebastian Rakers has said that the new technology means there is no need to slaughter fish in the future, as fish can be produced in the test tube.

2.7 trillion wild fish are caught for food each year with billions more being farmed for consumption. So maybe it's goodbye to Captain Birdseye and hello to Captain Blueeye!