Scientists at Nutreco are working to phase out meat in salmon diets, making the meal all-vegetarian, according to Alex Obach, managing director at Nutreco's research unit.

Nutreco had spent a decade perfecting a salmon diet, replacing fishmeal from wild catch such as Peruvian anchovies with a mix of soy, rapeseed and ground-up chicken.

The new dish, developed at a laboratory in Stavanger, Norway, will supplement about 1.3 million tonnes of fish feed Nutreco produces each year. The pellets still contain fish oil salmon needs to build up Omega-3 acids that make the fish a popular source of nutrition with consumers.