World record vegan ceviche in Brisbane

“The real idea behind this company is saving the ocean,” CEO Jacek Prus said. “What we really believe in as a company is how much seafood we can replace. So we figured we would show you this is something we can do on scale.”

There was previously no record for largest vegan ceviche dish, but Guinness records adjudicator Brittany Dunn said it was determined at least 550 pounds would need to be prepared to qualify for the title. The generous helping was donated to local charities for distribution to people who are homeless, Prus said.

“The record was just a team idea of how we can have fun and create some buzz, and also do some good,” he said.

According to Prus, 50% of ocean fish have been pulled out of the water since 1970, and for some tuna species that number is as much as 97%. He said due to difficulty farming tuna, they are generally fished for, causing their populations to be very low.

Current Foods uses a 100% plant-based mix including algae, bamboo, peas and radish to make its “sushi-grade” replacement. The company’s products can be found in a handful of Bay Area restaurants and will soon also be available online.