Swedish Herring – From Animal Feed to Innovative Everyday Meals

Around half of all herring caught in Swedish waters goes directly to animal feed. Axfoundation wants to change this. Herring is a flavorful ingredient that can be used in a wide range of everyday dishes. At Torsåker Farm, we work with researchers, chefs, and food companies to develop more tasty, nutritious, and sustainable products made from Swedish herring. An innovative process makes it possible to turn fish meat previously used for fishmeal into minced fish, a versatile ingredient with many potential uses.

The mince is tested practically at Torsåker Farm's test kitchens to develop new attractive and healthy products for consumers.

The Issue

Less than18 percent of Sweden’s total fish catch ends up as food on our plates. More than 60 percent goes directly to animal feed. Even much of the fish intended for human consumption, including trimmings and bones, eventually becomes feed. This is because Swedish consumers eat almost exclusively fillets. Fillets account for less than half the weight of a herring, yet almost the entire fish could be used for food and ingredients. This is a waste of resources. The meat left along the backbone is ideal for minced fish, but is still discarded.

Where do all the fish in Sweden go?

Our Solution

Making better use of a valuable resource that currently ends up as fishmeal requires both an innovative process and market demand. Axfoundation works with researchers and industry experts to unlock the potential of Swedish herring, from catch to finished food products.

A key enabler is the process developed by Sweden Pelagic and Chalmers University of Technology for handling herring and similar fish. By adapting conventional filleting lines to separate more parts of the fish, meat previously turned into fishmeal can instead become minced fish, a versatile ingredient with many uses.

Minced fish requires strict food hygiene, so the process also includes an innovative treatment method. To prevent rancidity and bacterial growth, the minced fish is dipped in an antioxidant solution containing rosemary extract, citric acid, and vitamins E and C. The result is high-quality minced herring made from flavorful byproducts, with an extended shelf life. The project is testing the minced fish in the test kitchens at Torsåker Farm to develop appealing, nutritious products for consumers.

In early 2024, the "Sillenbergare" was released. Photo: Middagsfrid

Our Work

Axfoundation’s role is to increase market interest in Swedish herring and expand its uses. At Torsåker Farm, minced herring is evaluated from several perspectives, including sustainability, nutritional value, and sensory properties.

Our ambition is to make herring that previously went to animal feed available to consumers as minced herring. It’s tasty, nutritious, sustainable, and can be used in a wide range of foods.

– Veronica Öhrvik, Project Manager Future Food, Axfoundation

At Torsåker Farm, minced herring is evaluated from various perspectives, including sustainability, nutritional content, and sensorical properties.

Results

In 2024, the innovation team at Torsåker Farm expanded the 50/50 concept, developing a herring patty made from minced herring and Swedish fava beans. The combination improved flavor, texture, and nutritional value. The product was successfully tested by 50 families in collaboration with Middagsfrid. Nearly 75 percent said they would consider eating it again.

The positive response sparked greater interest in minced herring. In early 2024, the Sillenbergare burger was launched, made with equal parts minced herring and legumes. In 2026, Axfoundation introduced minced herring as an ingredient within PLATE, a research center focused on strengthening Sweden’s food supply. There, it was tested in a dish called “lasagna from the sea.”

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% could consider eating the herring again

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% thought the product was "super tasty"

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% would choose the product in a meal kit

Minced herring is an incredibly versatile ingredient, as nutritious and delicious as it is useful in the kitchen.

– Anna Henning Moberg, Head of Operations Torsåker Farm, Axfoundation

What is 50/50?

The 50/50 concept is simple: combine equal parts animal-based and plant-based ingredients, such as Swedish legumes, in everything from meatballs to herring patties. The result is a dish with great flavor, appealing texture, and high nutritional value, while reducing its climate footprint.

The 50/50 concept has been part of Torsåker Farm’s approach to food since 2017. Today, it is increasingly common on Swedish dinner tables, especially since Jessie Sommarström won Sweden’s Chef of the Year competition in 2023 and chose the 50/50 meatball as Dish of the Year.

Partners

In 2026, Lasagna from the Sea was developed within the PLATE research center. For the Sillenbergaren project in 2024, Axfoundation collaborated with Sweden Pelagic AB, Middagsfrid, Urban Deli, and the Department of Life Sciences at Chalmers University of Technology.