Ocean Hugger Foods Tests Vegan Poke Bowls Made With Plant-Based Tuna

Aramark, a leading food provider that services educational institutions, hospitals, businesses, and stadiums around the globe, may soon be adding vegan poke bowls, featuring Ocean Hugger Foods Ahimi Tuna to its menus.

According to Food Navigator, three customizable vegan poke bowls were offered at three colleges and 10 corporate dining locations between February 26 and March 23. The limited-time offer, which consisted of Roma tomato-based vegan tuna, was introduced to gauge customer reactions to the product and to test new plant-based options among Aramark clients. Certified master chef James Corwell, who created the recipe for Ahimi, worked with Aramark’s Culinary Innovation Center to develop the poke bowls.

Diners were offered plant-based poke bowls in three basic flavor profiles — wasabi, spicy, and soy-ginger -and customers were free to customize the bowls to their preference. Dining locations were chosen based on a cross-section of different demographics in order to obtain feedback from a diverse group of customers. “Overall, the consumer feedback across all service channels has been extremely positive,” said Aramark Spokesman David Freireich.

“We’ll compile feedback and review key learnings to make an informed decision about the best way to incorporate Ahimi on our menus in the future. Our operators found Ahimi easy to work with and enjoyed the product overall,” Freireich continued, noting that the limited-time offer aligns well with Aramark’s commitment to offering more plant-based food. Should the Ahimi tuna poke bowls be added to the menu, this will expand Aramark’s vegan offerings.

“As a company, we’re committed to developing and offering menus that provide consumers with choices to meet their individual lifestyle and dietary preferences,” Freireich said. “A big part of this commitment includes creating menus that feature plant-based menus. We’ll continue to explore opportunities that allow us to achieve these goals and deliver dining experiences that are both healthy and taste great.”

While Aramark has not released an official launch date, customers can expect to find Ahimi tuna on Aramark menus in the near future. Last month, the sustainable seafood company partnered with Aramark as part of their new healthy living initiative, Healthy for Life 20 by 20. The program aims to “empower Americans to make better food choices” by reducing saturated fat and sodium content and increasing servings of whole, plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.