IKEA's newest alternative to their classic Swedish meatballs is made with sustainably sourced salmon, but also utilizes a unique process that helps fight against food waste.

Photo courtesy of IKEA

The furniture superstore already carries salmon filets in various forms across its product lineup, so adding a salmon meatball fits in naturally with their existing offerings. What stands out, though, is the process they went through developing the meatball.

IKEA uses salmon certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council as sustainably sourced, meaning they have restrictions on feed and pollution while encouraging biodiversity. They then worked with their suppliers to focus on obtaining the meat out of the parts of salmon that often don't make it as filets. By using this spare meat, if you will, to make their meatballs, it helps to reduce waste in fish production and creates a product with a lower-carbon footprint.

From there, IKEA focused on taste, adding in ingredients like lemongrass and seaweed to produce a fragrant and tender salmon meatball that 80% of test consumers enjoyed. They debuted in Portugal as a test market earlier this year, and the feedback was positive enough to encourage a nationwide launch for the United States as a new sustainable meal option.

IKEA's new salmon creation is now available in participating locations in the USA, where it joins the lineup of standard, chicken, and plant-based meatballs on the IKEA restaurant menu.