Plant-based seafood firm Ocean Hugger Foods – which was forced to pause operations last June as COVID-19 ravaged the foodservice industry (its primary market) – will stage a comeback later this year after forging a joint venture (Ocean Hugger Inc) with Thai food manufacturer Nove Foods. A wholly-owned subsidiary of global manufacturer NRF, Nove Foods has “ multi-continent manufacturing capabilities and sales relationships with many of the world’s largest retailers,” and is “ quickly becoming a major force in the supply of cutting-edge plant-based foods,” said David Benzaquen, co-founder and board member at Ocean Hugger Inc. The plan is for a global launch of an expanded portfolio of plant-based seafood products in retail and foodservice in late 2021, said Benzaquen, who told FoodNavigator-USA that the order is still to be determined, but the company "