Japan's Love for Eel Meets a Lab-Grown Future But Will Cultured Unagi Win Over The Purists?

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If there’s one thing Japan loves more than a perfectly glazed unagi don, it’s an existential food crisis to shake up tradition. With wild eel populations tanking and prices soaring, the latest survey from Forsea suggests Japanese consumers are warming up to a radical alternative - cultivated eel.

Source: Forsea - Anatoly Michaello - Cultivated Eel

 Israeli food tech firm, Forsea, has developed lab-grown eel using its organoid technology, a method mimicking natural fish tissue formation without the ecological guilt trip. Their survey of 2,000 Japanese consumers found 35% are already aware of cultivated seafood, with a quarter willing to try it regardless of price. Another third see it as a solution to over fishing and environmental damage.

Forsea isn’t the only player. Steakholder Foods has taken a different approach, launching the world’s first plant-based 3D-printed eel, a layered, high-tech alternative designed to replicate the delicate texture of unagi . Meanwhile, US based, Ocean Hugger Foods and Japan's Nissin have already put eel alternatives on the market, using eggplant and soy protein to recreate the classic Japanese dish.

Forsea’s take? Unlike its 3D-printed and plant-based rivals, their eel is the real deal minus the poaching and built from actual fish cells but without the environmental toll.

With Japan consuming half of the world’s eel supply, Forsea’s cell-cultured version could be a game-changer if it gains regulatory approval and price parity with wild-caught eel. (Image: Forsea-Liran Maimon)

For the purists, the biggest question remains though, does it taste like the real thing? With high-tech printing and organoid cell tech competing for consumer loyalty, Japan’s unagi lovers may soon face a dilemma, stick with tradition or embrace a future where eel is printed, cultivated, and eco-friendly.

Would you trade your kabayaki for a lab-grown upgrade? Or does the idea of 3D-printed seafood make you queasy? Either way, the future of eel is looking less like a river and more like a lab.

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