In an episode of The Simpsons, after becoming a bodyguard of Mayor Quimby, Homer discovers that he’s been making corrupt deals with Fat Tony, cutting costs by supplying schools with milk made from rats instead of cows.
While it’s a comical exaggeration, some people are doing something similar in Indonesia, but with fish.
A change in trend. Indonesia has the capability to produce traditional cow’s milk. However, two challenges are reshaping the country’s dairy industry. First, increasing urbanization has driven up demand for dairy products, making it harder to keep up with supply.
Second, growing awareness of sustainability and animal welfare has prompted efforts to find alternatives to conventional milk production. Although the archipelago has a shortage of cows, it has no shortage of fish.
Milking fish. Seeing the rising demand for dairy and the popularity of plant-based milk alternatives like almond and soy drinks, the Berikan Protein Initiative Foundation spotted an opportunity: milk made from fish.
According to The Wall Street Journal, this nonprofit has been producing fish milk in Indramayu, a coastal town where fishermen deliver daily catches of ponyfish to the foundation. The fish are deboned and processed through hydrolysis, breaking them down into a protein-rich white powder.
This powder is mixed with sugar and flavors like strawberry or chocolate. Add water, and you’ve got a protein-packed fish smoothie.
Surikan is the fish milk produced in Indonesia. The ad is in the upper left corner.
Optimism for fish milk. Mafatihul Khoiri, who manages production for the foundation, insists that the drink “tastes like regular milk, at least to me.” The product has even been floated as a potential option for school meals in Indonesia, sparking both curiosity and debate.
Entrepreneurs see massive potential in fish milk. The industry could employ 200,000 people, produce 500,000 tons annually, and generate up to $4.5 billion in value, according to local estimates. Budi Sulistyo, one of the initiative’s backers, is “very optimistic” about its future.
Skepticism from officials. Not everyone shares this enthusiasm. Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi has voiced reservations. While he acknowledges the need to expand nutritional options, he sees other, more traditional solutions. “We can grow cows. Or we can import milk from Australia. Or we can buy an Australian milk company. There are many, many, many options to consider before we’re milking the fish,” he said, humorously emphasizing his point.
A future of fish milk? Despite the skepticism, fish milk isn’t an entirely novel idea. In some countries, fish collagen powder is already marketed as a food supplement. Norwegian researchers, funded by the EU, are working on techniques to remove the distinctive fishy odor from fish-based proteins.
Taste and smell remain significant hurdles. Berikan’s fish milk currently contains 13 grams of sugar per serving to mask the fishy flavor. Efforts to reduce the sugar to 4.7 grams have been met with limited success, as the reduced sweetness amplifies the fishy taste. This has forced the foundation to lower the protein content from nine grams to five grams per serving.
For now, the Berikan Protein Initiative is focused on gaining market acceptance. The foundation believes that if consumers embrace the product, they can refine the formula over time.
An innovative solution. While the concept may evoke comparisons to The Simpsons, fish milk represents a genuine effort to address sustainability and food security challenges. If its creators can overcome taste and odor barriers, it could emerge as a practical and efficient protein source for a world facing evolving dietary needs.
Image | Gregor Moser (Unsplash) | Eiliv Aceron (Unsplash)
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