Strong Roots unveils algae oil fries and zero-oil platform for frozen food innovation

Strong Roots is launching fries made with algae oil and a zero-oil baking platform, designed to rethink how everyday products such as fries and baked snacks are made. 

The Irish frozen food company is previewing its Feel Good Fries, made with algae oil and potatoes grown using regenerative agricultural methods, alongside a zero-oil baking platform during New York Climate Week 2026 this week. 

The announcement comes as food manufacturers continue to explore new approaches to ingredient sourcing, processing, and reformulation amid rising costs, supply chain uncertainty, and increasing climate pressures.

“Innovation at Strong Roots has never been about chasing trends. It’s about asking harder questions of the food we already eat every day. With Feel Good Fries and our new zero-oil baking products, we’re not just swapping one ingredient for another, we’re rethinking how familiar freezer favorites are made from the ground up,” says Emma Curtis, managing director at Strong Roots.

Exploring algae oil as an alternative fat

Strong Roots says its Feel Good Fries are made using algae oil and potatoes grown using regenerative agricultural methods. With this product, the company aims to explore whether alternative ingredients can help reduce environmental impacts while maintaining the taste and texture expected from a frozen food staple.

Feel Good Fries respond to growing consumer interest in alternatives to conventional cooking oils, says Curtis. 

“The question Strong Roots is asking is: can food innovation deliver alternatives without simply shifting demand onto resource-intensive ingredients such as avocado oil and beef tallow?”

“As part of this process, Strong Roots is exploring algae oil — an emerging ingredient offering a different approach to alternative fats used in everyday foods.”

Algae-oil fries and zero-oil tech target the next generation of frozen food products.Alternative oils and fats are increasingly being developed, as food manufacturers look for solutions that combine functionality, supply resilience, and sustainability considerations.

Food Ingredients First previously explored how algae-derived oils are being developed as alternative cooking oils, including applications such as frying, grilling, and baking, as innovators look to address challenges around traditional oil supply chains. 

The wider alternative fat space is also seeing investment in precision fermentation and microalgae technologies. We previously reported on Checkerspot’s microalgae fermentation platform, which converts sugar feedstocks into triglyceride oils designed for applications including frying, bakery, and other food categories. 

Zero-oil baking platform

Alongside its algae oil fries, Strong Roots is introducing a zero-oil baking platform that enables products traditionally reliant on added oils to be produced without them.

The company describes the technology as an “industry-first approach” that could provide new opportunities for frozen food manufacturers seeking to reformulate products while maintaining familiar eating experiences.

“Its new baking technology goes further, enabling frozen products with zero added oil.”

Strong Roots says Feel Good Fries will be available on shelves in January 2027, while zero-oil baking products will launch during the first half of 2027.

Reformulating frozen foods

Strong Roots’ launches reflect wider industry efforts to rethink mainstream food categories through ingredient innovation, new processing approaches, and more resilient sourcing strategies.

Frozen foods remain an important area for reformulation, as manufacturers look to balance convenience, affordability, sensory performance, and evolving expectations around sustainability.

Strong Roots describes itself as a vegetable-led frozen food company with a strategy to “fix the freezer aisle.” Its portfolio includes products such as sweet potato fries, proper chips, cauliflower hash browns, and spinach and pumpkin burgers.