TOKIO, August 16 (Bloomberg) - The meat-free movement is finding its way into strange and exotic dishes. The latest example, according to Bloomberg: imitation uni. Usually, the orange innards of sea urchins served in sushi restaurants are harvested from spiky creatures that live on seabeds. The delicacy requires much labor to collect and keep fresh. That makes it one of the most expensive items on menus; a 100-gram box of top-grade uni from Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido can easily fetch 5,000 yen ($47).

Japan already consumes 80% of the world’s uni supply, and demand will only climb thanks to sushi’s growing global popularity. That’s why Fuji Oil Holdings Inc., maker of processed foods such as chocolate and soy products, developed the world’s first imitation uni, using flavored vegetable oils and soy-based ingredients.

Restaurants may eventually have little choice but to add plant-based seafood to their menus. Overfishing is becoming a serious concern, as a rising global population consumes fish faster than it can be pulled out of the sea. Even with farm-raised fish, which account for more than half of consumption, it’s not enough.