Thursday, April 23, 4.15 pm CET
Wild salmon promise for EU frozen product innovation
Projections for another huge harvest of sockeye and pink salmon in Alaska, coupled with the news that several processors, which formerly rejected the use of the MSC label on its wild salmon, will resume selling its product as certified to the standard could spark some much-needed innovation in Germany's frozen fish sector.
At least for frozen food firm Frosta, wild salmon will be high on the agenda in terms of future product innovations.
"Wild salmon is a fantastic product, but in Europe we're still at the very beginning of making proper use of it," the company's Jurgen Marggraf said.
Frosta is looking into developing new products in the category, however, it is too early to reveal any details, he said.
"We believe it's a very fitting fish for Frosta," Marggraf told IntraFish. But its use in frozen ready-meals is still very much under-developed in Europe.
He welcomed the news that more MSC-certified wild salmon will be available on the EU market from this year.
"We never had a supply shortage [of MSC-certified fish] but the restriction of the market wasn't positive," he said.
What is clear, he added, is both retailers and consumers in Germany continue to rally for MSC-labeled products.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, April 23, 4.01 pm CET
Suppliers, EU buyers still haggling over Alaska pollock price
Large volumes of US Alaska pollock remain unsold as suppliers and EU buyers still haven't reached an agreement on prices, Jurgen Marggraf, head of operations at German frozen food firm Frosta, told IntraFish Thursday.
"Our ideas about the price are still miles apart," he said, adding Frosta is not the only processor hesitating with its purchasing decision.
Demand is currently weaker than supply, "and prices would have to react accordingly," he said.
At the same time, processors in Germany and Europe are still in discussions with retailers over price increases for finished products.
On the back of the soaring US dollar, compared to the weak euro, many are are reporting a loss in value of about 25 to 30 percent compared to summer last year, he said.
"Now we have to increase [finished product] prices."
Frosta already upped its prices in the last couple of months, he said, but further increases will have to be pushed through "step-by-step."
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, April 23, 3.22 pm CET
Hot surimi innovation
This IntraFish journalist has never been a big fan of surimi, but she might have just been converted, after tasting Viciunai’s new Fried Surimi Snacks.
With the introduction at the Brussels show, the Lithuanian giant is trying to go down a new route, in a bid to capture a share of the growing snacking market.
What’s more, it is probably the first surimi product in Europe that can be heated up and eaten hot.
“In Europe, 99 percent of all surimi consumed is cold, in salads or as an aperitif,” Dirk Belmans, CEO of Viciunai Europe, told IntraFish during a pitstop at the company’s booth.
“There is that market and we’re trying to develop it, and we’re even growing it slightly,” he said. “But we’re reaching a saturation point.”
The “dream,” he said, has always been to expand with a product mix that can be eaten hot. After some research in Japan, the company stumbled across fried surimi and after a year of development, the surimi fritters were born.
Offered in a microwaveable cup, including a fork, and a fat content of less than 3 percent, it’s a healthy alternative to other snacks, Belmans said.
The launch into retail is planned for September this year, and there has been “serious interest” from customers in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
“If we get consumers to eat hot we should be able to double our market,” he said.
In general, Belmans believes, the need for innovation in surimi is massive. “That’s where the growth and sustainability of our industry will come from.”
France, the company’s biggest market, “is flat to even decreasing a little bit,” he said. Other markets, including Spain, Italy, the Benelux, the United Kingdom and Germany are performing better, “but saturation will come.
“We need to think out of the box and find totally new ways to expand the market,” he said.
Nevertheless, Belmans believes Vicinunai Group will be able to grow its turnover by 15 to 20 percent this year from the €500 million reported in 2014.
“That’s the growth rate we’ve had in recent years and I believe it should be possible also this year,” Belmans said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, April 23, 1.39 pm CET
Latvian canner invests €5 million into fish fingers; smoked salmon
Latvian canned fish processor Piejura invested €5 million in expanding its factory last year so now it can manufacture a range of frozen breaded products and smoked salmon.
Under its brand Amberfish, the processor is launching a new line of frozen fish fingers, both whitefish and salmon, as well as fish burgers and fish nuggets. All these products will be served with several tastes such as cheese, vegetables and mushrooms.
At the same time the company is launching a new smoked salmon range with three different variants – conventional, with spices, and with dill.
Initially the company will aim to produce around 6-8 metric tons of the breaded products per day and around 10 metric tons of salmon per month, Renars Indriksons, export manager at the company told IntraFish, and it will mainly target markets such as the UK and Germany.
Despite fishfingers being an established product in these markets already, Indriksons believes the Amberfish range will stand out both with its catchy design and packaging, but also because the company has tailored the taste so it is "less fishy" and therefore appealing to children.
At the moment the company exports 97 percent of what it produces, with its main markets including Europe – in particular Germany and the Czech Republic, CIS, USA, Canada and Australia. Around 70 percent of this is private label, with the remaining percentage under the brand Amberfish.
“This is a brand new line for us so for the moment the majority -- 80 percent of what we produce -- is canned salmon, mackerel, herring, sprats, and cod,” said Indriksons.
In addition, Indriksons believes there is a big opportunity for the new products in the Baltic market.
“Currently Viciunai dominates the Baltic market, taking up around 90 percent,” said Indriksons. “But this means there is a lot of opportunity in the supermarkets who want to see some new players and some new products.”
Piejura’s turnover in 2014 was around €6 million, according to Indriksons, but it is growing year-on-year.
--Dominic Welling
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Thursday, April 23, 1.25 pm CET
French surimi producers getting squeezed
Despite a good year last year, many surimi producers in France are slipping back into the red as they get squeezed by higher prices, according to Pascal Guenneugues, president of Future Seafood.
Prices are higher as combined result of increased demand from Japan as well as the weakness of the euro compared with the high dollar.
“Buyers cannot support the higher prices, but the retailers are not passing these on to the consumer, and as a result French and European producers are being squeezed,” Guenneugues said.
In Japan the demand has forced surimi processors to increase their prices, but while normally this results in a dip in consumption, the market is still stable, for the moment, he said.
“Consumption is holding up in Japan, despite the fact processors have had to increase prices. We may have to wait until the end of the year before we see this,” he said.
US surimi production is slightly up this year, and current projections are it will end the year at around 195,000 metric tons,
For 2014 total production was 183,000 metric tons so this would represent an increase of around 6.6 percent, as an estimate, said Guenneugues.
It is very hard to predict what will happen in season B, but at the moment the market is balanced, he said.
“I do not expect to see any significant turnaround in the markets, and there is nothing that could really affect the market for B season. We will have to wait to see what will happen next year.”
--Dominic Welling
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Thursday, April 23, 1.22 pm CET
Kilic exec: Norwegian salmon a threat Turkey's fish producers
Not everyone welcomes the advance Norwegian salmon is making in the world's markets.
Since the closure of the Russian market, and the anew trade issues with China, Turkey's retailers are being swamped with "cheap" Atlantic salmon, Kilic's Sinan Kiziltan told IntraFish in Brussels.
There has been an incredible jump in in-store promotions, he said, affecting sales for local producers and fishermen, which are unable to compete with the low prices.
"It is impacting Turkey's businesses, our local fishermen," he said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, April 23, 1.19 pm CET
Bass, bream prices up and rising higher
The European seabass and bream market is slowly recovering from last years’ woes, on lower production levels from both Greece and Turkey.
Sinan Kiziltan, executive VP at Turkish producer Kilic, said prices for bream jumped to €5.50 per kilogram in the past two months, and are expected to reach €5.90 in May.
This is up from around €4.50 per kilogram at the end of last year.
Seabass is seeing a similar development: Prizes for big sizes currently stand at €5.20 to €5.30 per kilogram and will reach €5.90 in June, Kiziltan said.
“I believe it will be a good 2016 and 2017,” he told IntraFish.
Demand is also going strong, especially in new markets such as the United States, Canada and the Middle East, he said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, April 23, 12.56 pm CET
Temp tracking tags
Knut Nygaard is new to the seafood industry. But with new temperature tracking technology he may be about to make a difference to it.
Walking the Brussels show floor armed with just a couple of stick-on labels and a mini-iPad, Nygaard is excited at the ease of traceability he pertains to offer.
Tag Sensors offers two different labels – one for greater distance monitoring of seafood pallets employing ultra high frequency tech – for use with pallets of seafood, for example; and one for individual packs using near field communication technology which send signals conveying the product temperature at any given point during a journey.
The difference between this and other temperature monitoring technology is the ability to send the information direct to a mobile app in real-time.
The tags have a 200 hour battery life and are cheap enough for one-time use, said Nygaard, who comes from a background in Visa card technology.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Thursday, April 23, 12.36 pm CET
Culimer unveils new superfrozen brand
Following its success in the superfrozen tuna segment, Dutch company Culimer unveiled a whole new superfrozen range at the Seafood Expo, under the brand American Sashimi.
The new range is initially targeted at foodservice and is all sourced from America. It includes superfrozen seabass, striped bass, kampachi, squid, catfish and flounder, to complement the company’s existing superfrozen tuna products.
“We are developing our superfrozen really well,” Martin Brugman, managing director of Culimer told IntraFish.
“It has become a specialty for us now as we know how to handle it well.”
The products are frozen at -60 degrees Celsius from the point of catch and are kept at that temperature all throughout the supply chain. Not only does Culimer supply the fish but it also operates specialized cold store and processing, and rents or sells specialized freezers to its customers so they can store them.
“The benefits of superfrozen are mainly around the quality, but for tuna it is also to do with preserving the color,” said Brugman.
The American Sashimi range launched at the show and Brugman has already seen a number of trial orders.
The superfrozen products sell at a premium compared with standard frozen items, but according to Brugman this is not off-putting to customers, if anything sales are more successful.
As an example, Brugman said the superfrozen yellowfin and bigeye tuna steaks can sell for around €25 per kilo, where as standard steaks sell at around €5 per kilo.
“It’s because they are better than fresh when defrosted. Fresh tuna coming into Europe can take 10 days to get here, but with the superfrozen straight after catch at -60 it does not deteriorate at all – it is fresher than fresh.”
--Dominic Welling
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Thursday, April 23, 12.22 pm CET
OCI on Asian yellowtail flounder marketing push
After years of closure (since 1994), Canada’s yellowtail flounder stocks are back to healthy and sustainable levels and MSC-certified – making for a great success story.
“It’s the first groundfish stock that fully recovered from its collapse,” OCI’s Martin Sullivan told IntraFish.
The company, which owns 91 percent of the 17,000-metric tons quota, is now pushing the species “and the response has been really good,” Sullivan said.
Offering different frozen-at-sea products for retail, the company is now on a “big marketing push” in Asia.
Metro in China and Aeon in Japan already list the products.
Sales into the United States and Europe – especially in Spain and Portugal but also the United Kingdom – are seeing good development, he said.
“It’s a great success story,” Sullivan said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, April 23, 12.15 pm CET
Unchartered territory for coldwater shrimp
The global coldwater shrimp market is in “unchartered territory” this year, Martin Sullivan, CEO of Canadian fishing firm Ocean Choice International (OCI), said.
“The market is really dry, there is no product, which is obviously going to impact prices,” he told IntraFish.
On the back of lower quotas, supplies are down from last year and will hit about 40,000 to 45,000 metric tons globally.
Fishermen in Canada are now getting $1.40 per kilogram, up from $0.76 last year, Sullivan said.
“The challenge now is to get that into the market."
Placing the species as a premium and niche product in the 3 million metric tons global shrimp market is the only way to go, he said.
At the same time, OCI – which supplies its shrimp among others to UK retailer Marks & Spencer – is not trying to grow on customers but focuses on protecting its core customers, Sullivan said.
“We have to try to produce the best product and get the best price,” he said. “At the same time we have to select to who we sell to.”
But there are some glimmers of hope, for instance in Sweden, which has developed to a major market for frozen-at-sea, hand-peeled, brined shrimp.
The market gobbles up 5,000 metric tons of these “premium” shrimp, which retail at around CAD 25 per kilogram, Sullivan said.
This development has helped both to lessen the impact of the Russian ban as well as the reduction in supply.
“It has filled a void,” Sullivan said, adding it is a massive chunk in the total volume of cooked, shell-on shrimp of 20,000 metric tons.
“We need stories like this one,” he said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Thursday, April 23, 11.01 am CET
Elevenses? Have some barramundi
There’s no better mid-morning snack than a barramundi fillet and a pile of shrimp. And that’s what we got served on stopping by the National Aquaculture Group just now.
Based on the Saudi coast, 180km south of Jeddah NAG has just moved its barramundi production from ponds to cages in the Red Sea and is pleased with the resulting product which, grown in a high salinity environment (37ppt), has a distinctive taste quite different from its pond-grown Asian counterpart, says Sales Director Michael Fog.
“We had a Spanish retail buyer at the stand yesterday and [on tasting NAG’s fish] he was like ‘Wow… this is really different’,” said Fog.
For now the company’s 5,000 metric tons of product is sold on the local Saudi market, but with a new 12 cage farm to be stocked at the end of May it is looking to sell the additional 3,000 tons to new markets in Europe and the United States.
To suit the markets, the company has begun growing its fish to 3 kilos and filleting it at its onsite processing plant.
It has also started heavily marketing the product and has noticed the difference at this year’s show. “Last year 70 percent of the interest we had was in shrimp. This year it has been 70 percent interest in our fish,” said Fog.
NAG is also producing 17,000 metric tons of vannamei but has no immediate growth plans in this sector.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Wednesday, April 22, 6.49 pm CET
Scottish Salmon Company in export drive
The Scottish Salmon Company’s (SSC) main priority at the moment is increasing its exports and growing new markets, according to its managing director Craig Anderson.
The company, which produces around 30,000 metric tons per year, is currently exporting 43 percent of this, but Anderson’s goal is to grow this to more than 50 percent.
“But this will be driven by expansion of production,” Anderson said.
Something which the company is also doing. This year, SSC will add two new sites both capable of producing an additional 2,000 metric tons each, boosting overall production for the company to 34,000 metric tons.
On top of this the company has applications in play for a further two sites – also 2,000 metric tons each – which, if approved, will launch in 2016 and add an additional 4,000 metric tons, Anderson said.
“We are looking at growth of around 5-7 percent per year. But we want good, linear, sustainable growth,” he said.
The firm will be at a number of trade shows this year, looking to expand its ever increasing export markets.
The country has recently gained new markets, including the Ukraine to which it started exporting in February, and will soon export to 24 countries around the world, Anderson said.
While there are many challenges in the industry to be overcome, for example lice and other phenomenon such as jellyfish which hit production, those “tend to be solved,” said Anderson.
“But without growth it makes it difficult to plan for the future. And we want other companies to grow together with us, then the industry in Scotland can grow at the same time.”
--Dominic Welling
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Wednesday, April 22, 5.30 pm CET
Pike perch, made in Denmark
Danish trout producer AquaPri is expecting to put the first fish into tanks at its new land-based pike perch farm by early August, Henning Priess, owner and managing director at the firm, told IntraFish.
Construction of the around 10,000 square meter plant kicked off in September last year and is progressing nicely, he said.
On two floors, the company is planning to initially produce 200 metric tons of fish, which will soon be ramped up to 600 metric tons.
“But there will be more, we’ll be stocking up gradually,” Priess said.
Investment costs amounted to €9 million, Priess said, up from the €7.5 million initially planned.
He hopes the investment will be paying off within five years.
Demand, or the market, won’t be an issue but there are concerns in terms of the actual production of pike perch as a species itself.
Cannibalism and deformities are some of the issues AquaPri might be facing, Priess said.
“But I’m quite confident it’s going to work,” he said.
The company is currently already producing and marketing around 50 metric tons of the fish per year, and nabbed supply contracts with sushi chain Sticks’n’Sushi for pike perch sashimi, as well as retailers in Switzerland.
“Demand is good and we’re not concerned about it,” Priess said.
The fish is fetching a premium price on the market, of about €9 per kilogram for the whole fish, €10 kilogram for gutted fish and around €25 per kilogram for fillets.
In addition, the company is also planning to supply pike perch fingerlings, and is seeing some good overseas demand, for instance from China, Priess told IntraFish.
While he believes in the future of land-based aquaculture, Priess is not ignorant to the high production cost and said the company’s at-sea trout production is vital for future investments in on-land farming.
“We’d like to be innovative and invest in new farming techniques but we need to keep our core business going,” he said. “Land-based is the future but we’re not there yet.”
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Wednesday, April 22, 4.53 pm CET
Dutch importer makes CSR commitments
Anova’s certified sustainable product sales volume increased to 56 percent in 2014, up from 43 percent in 2013, according to Hendrik Colpaert, commercial director at the company. It is planning to increase this to 70 percent by 2016, and ultimately 100 percent in a few years, he said.
The company unveiled its latest CSR report during the Brussels Seafood Show, in which it also claimed in 2014 more than 60 percent of the company’s volume from emerging countries was supplied by socially audited suppliers.
“Our goal for 2015 is to increase this to 70 percent, and ultimately to 100 percent,” said Colpaert.
“Our renewed strategy emphasizes our value as supply chain partner via a stronger customer oriented focus. It strengthens our ambitions in creating strong, reliable and resilient value chains in which everyone wins.”
In addition, Anova has also recently launched a brand new website and logo.
--Dominic Welling
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Wednesday, April 22, 4.44 pm CET
Anova launches fresh line into Aldi
Anova Seafoods unveiled a new range of “skinpack” fresh seafood for private label at the show, as it turns its focus on developing the fresh side of the business.
While the company is roughly split 50/50 between frozen and fresh, previously the fresh side of the business mainly dealt with bulk orders. Now though it wants to get closer to the consumer and is stepping up supplying fresh products for retail.
“We’ve had a lot of success with our frozen private label products and customers have asked for us to take the same approach to fresh,” said Hendrik Colpaert, commercial director at Anova Seafood.
One of Anova’s new strategies is packaging its products as close to the source as possible and in turn make the supply chain more efficient, said Colpaert.
“We want to increase consumption of seafood by offering products brought to market by the purest and shortest route,” he said.
The new fresh private label range – which is also sold under the company’s The Sea and We brand -- includes farmed salmon fillets from Norway,wild salmon from Alaska, cod loins and portions, MSC swordfish, MSC albacore tuna, as well as VAP and marinated products.
The first of the new fresh products are being sold in Aldi Holland, said Colpaert.
--Dominic Welling
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Wednesday, April 22, 3.23 pm CET
Colruyt Group first to retail ASC black tiger shrimp
Morubel is expecting the first Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified black tiger shrimp to arrive at its processing plant in the first week of May, Chris Meskens, communications manager at the firm, told IntraFish.
The company unveiled the new line at this year’s Brussels show.
From there, it’s not long until consumers can enjoy the products, she said, as Belgian retailer Colruyt Group decided to list the product.
The launch will happen in the second week of May, Meskens said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Wednesday, April 22, 3.13 pm CET
Morubel top exec calls for European shrimp consolidation
Overcapacity is still one of the biggest issues in Europe’s shrimp processing sector, Edo Abels, managing director at Belgian processor Morubel, told IntraFish.
“There are still a lot of players out there and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see some consolidation” in the years to come, he said.
When asked if Morubel will be playing an active role in the process, he said; “It’s no secret that our ambition is to grow so we are in the market for an acquisition.”
This would happen in cooperation with its owners, private equity firm Bencis Capital Partners, which bought Morubel at the beginning of July last year, after separating from Heiploeg in January.
Bencis’ investment in Morubel is one for the longer term, Abels said.
“And if they’re ready to exit the company they want it to be stronger than when they bought it,” he said.
Nevertheless, the company is going for “realistic growth,” Abels told IntraFish, which will happen step-by-step.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Wednesday, April 22, 2.45 pm CET
Financial woes in southern Europe
Italian processor Panapesca is no stranger to difficult times: Just like other southern European businesses the company suffered from the deep financial crisis in the past few years.
But while business has been tough, seafood sales have been relatively stable, the firm’s Brussels representative Karina Monteverdi told IntraFish.
She declined to comment on the impact on the company’s profitability but said at the moment an expansion into new markets is not on the agenda – the firm will continue to focus on the Italian retail and foodservice market.
Its products include frozen hake products, Argentinean shrimp as well as seafood mixes, which it started producing in Thailand last year.
They are sold under its Panapesca brand, but the majority goes into private label, Monteverdi said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Wednesday, April 22, 2.00 pm CET
First ever Chinese fishery nabs MSC certification
Zoneco took the top honors in terms of fisheries sustainability this Wednesday, officially achieving Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for its scallop fishery on Zhangzidao Island.
The company, formerly known as Zhangzidao, currently produces between 30,000 and 50,000 metric tons of scallops every year, the majority of which are sold in China.
It hopes the certification will help it reach wider markets.
Rupert Howes, chief executive of MSC, handed over the certificate to Wu Hougang, chairman of Zoneco, at a press gathering this afternoon.
He called it a “historic day” for both the MSC and China’s fishing industry, and a “tremendous achievement.”
Howes added; “We are looking forward to working together with Zoneco on future certifications.”
Wu described it as a “milestone” for the Zoneco Group. “We are honored to become a member of the MSC family,” he said.
The certification process, which was overseen by independent auditor Intertek Fisheries Certification, has taken four years to complete, he said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Wednesday, April 22, 10.31 am CET
Change is coming in Iceland
Icelandic fishing firm Visir, which recently consolidated its four plants down to one and reduced its longline fleet by one vessel, is predicting more changes to come in the industry in Iceland.
Petur Palsson, managing director of Visir, said there was a need for the restructuring and so far “forecasts and budgets are better than expected.”
The profit margins of the company had been decreasing in recent years because of lower pricing along with growing costs in groundfish processing, Palsson said.
“Before we had margins of 25 percent but in 2013 these fell to 15 percent,” Palsson said. “Now we are heading back up, in 2014 this was closer to 20 percent.”
The company also consolidated operations in order to meet an increased market demand for fresh fish, as well as more flexible and quicker deliveries.
“There has been a huge change in Iceland, more and more people are asking for fresh fish because there are more export options, so we need to be flexible,” he said.
With consolidation in the market Palsson said the company would have to either cut down the number of vessels or increase quotas in the next one or two years.
In addition Palsson said there are still too many smaller fish processing factories in Iceland, and too many vessels. “Smaller companies will have to sell or merge with larger companies soon enough,” said Palsson. “It has already happened in capelin, already happened with redfish, already happened with lobster and scampi, the only sector where it hasn’t happened is cod and haddock.
“There is a kind of wall when it comes to cod and haddock, it is difficult for everyone to do it, but in my view it will happen anyway – as soon as the industry excepts this, the better.”
-- Dominic Welling
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Wednesday, April 22, 10.00 am CET
Direct Ocean continues search for suitor
Direct Ocean is still on the lookout for a bigger group to come in and snap it up, after the failure of its acquisition talks with Japanese giant Marubeni last year.
Philippe Barbe, managing director at the company told IntraFish the company was unable to grow much further without the financial clout of a larger company coming in to help it.
“We are still a small company with around €75 million in turnover and we have limited financial means to grow, so we are still looking to become part of a bigger group,” Barbe said.
Even to grow to €85 million in revenues will be difficult without the support of the banks, according to Barbe.
“We want to be part of a group which not only has synergies with us but also the financial strength to help us grow,” he said.
And there are plenty of opportunities to grow to as much as €100 million with the right backing, he said.
“There is a lot of potential not only on the French market but also in exports to places such as Japan and Vietnam.”
In the last few years Direct Ocean has grown exports to 30 percent of the business, said Barbe.
The group is France’s largest salmon importer – as well as a number of other species -- but is also involved in processing, storing, and distributing.
-- Dominic Welling
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Wednesday, April 22, 9.51 am CET
Nearly 9 million tons of seafood is now MSC certified
MSC certified fisheries now catch 8.8 million tons of MSC certified seafood per year, accounting for close to 10 percent of the total global wild-capture.
With 255 fisheries certified and over 100 currently in assessment to the MSC Standard, volumes could increase to more than 10 million tons, representing around 12 percent of the global wild harvest, in the next 18 months.
The MSC today celebrated 15 years of MSC certified seafood and recognized the ‘leaders for living oceans’ that are driving growth and success in the sustainable seafood market.
Speaking at the MSC’s annual global commercial update meeting at Seafood Expo Global, MSC’s Chief Executive, Rupert Howes and Global Commercial Director, Nicolas Guichoux acknowledged the commitment shown by organizations around the world.
The MSC commended processors, retailers and restaurants such as Orkla Foods in Sweden, Anova Seafood in the Netherlands, Iglo Foods Group in Europe, award winning UK restaurant Wahaca, Aeon in Japan, Sainsbury’s in the UK and Migros in Switzerland, among others, for embedding sustainability in their business.
“By putting sustainability at the heart of their business strategy, these leaders are driving positive change. Their leadership is helping propel the global sustainable seafood movement, and fuel responsible consumption by empowering those who are seeking sustainable choices,” said Howes.
Today more than 600,000 metric tons of MSC labeled products are sold every year to consumers in 100 countries around the world.
These figures represent a significant growth in sustainable seafood availability compared to just 15 years ago when the very first fishery achieved MSC certification.
This fishery, the Western Australian Rock Lobster fishery, has since experienced improvements in financial stability and eliminated its unintended impacts on an endangered species.
Around 65,000 metric tons of MSC certified lobster was caught globally last year. By comparison there were around 10,000 metric tons of MSC certified lobster caught in 2012.
This increase is the result of Northern American lobster fisheries achieving MSC certification in the last two years. Around 85 percent of lobster landed in the US is now eligible to carry the MSC ecolabel, whilst 97 percent of lobster landed in Canada is either certified or in assessment in the MSC program.
Guichoux also pointed to areas where the MSC forecasts growth over the coming year. These include the markets for tuna and small pelagic fisheries, which together represent around 30 percent of total marine catches.
More MSC certified tuna is entering the market and more tuna fisheries are eager to join the MSC program, and meet the sustainability requirements under the MSC Fisheries Standard. Volumes of certified seafood from small pelagic fisheries and by product from MSC certified fish are increasing in order to supply demand driven by food supplement and pet food industries together with responsible aquaculture schemes such as the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC).
Guichoux concluded: “We have achieved a lot, but there is still a great deal more to do to ensure healthy oceans and a thriving sustainable seafood market for the future. We encourage other organizations to follow the leadership of those in the MSC program who are making a positive impact through their responsible stewardship and purchasing power.”
-- IntraFish Media
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Wednesday, April 22, 8.05 am CET
Talk about size
Marine Harvest CEO Alf-Helge Aarskog put the size of the Norwegian salmon giant’s value-added production into a whole new perspective at its reception in Brussels last night.
The group runs 19 VAP plants across the globle, producing around 4,000 different products.
“I’m not saying we’re going to get more but they will certainly change,” he said.
Some of the most successful value-added products it launched last year included Sushi by Scott’s in France, Rebel Fish in the United States, and Supreme Salmon in Taiwan.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Wednesday, April 22, 8.01 am CET
ASC celebrates five-year milestone
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) celebrated its fifth anniversary Tuesday at Seafood Expo Global.
Around 100 people joined ASC to help celebrate its fifth anniversary, it said in a statement.
“I am proud of how far we have come in only five years, especially as our program has been certifying farms for only half of that time. Our progress has been beyond expectation,” said Chris Ninnes, CEO at ASC.
“In this short period, we have engaged more than 200 farms in the ASC program of which close to 150 are now certified to the ASC standards. And, we have passed the milestone number of 2,500 ASC labeled products and more than 500,000 metric tons ASC certified seafood.
“That progress would not have been possible without the commitment of the certified farms, those in assessment and the many more that we know are contemplating engaging with the program," he said.
As well as almost 500 chain of custody certified companies that move our certified products through the supply chain and the 250 logo license holders who are driving the market uptake for the ASC logo.
“The response of the market has equaled these supply side commitments as we have seen a growing willingness of retailers, food service companies and brands committing to improving global aquaculture by driving demand for ASC-certified seafood," Ninnes said.
"It is through their collective support and commitment to responsible aquaculture that our certification and logo program has become well established in such a short time. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all those who have joined us on that journey.”
Several key global commitments helped establish the ASC as a leader in aquaculture certification, it said.
The Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) members, who represent 70 percent of global salmon aquaculture production, have committed to certifying their farms to the ASC salmon standard by 2020.
Five of eight shrimp farms that represent 90 percent of total farmed shrimp production in Belize have recently become certified.
An estimated 20 percent of the Vietnamese pangasius production has been certified against the ASC Pangasius Standard.
And, the Rio 2016 organizing committee is supporting responsible aquaculture by pledging that all farmed seafood for the Rio 2016 Games will be ASC-certified.
The ASC logo was launched in April 2012. In August the same year, Regal Springs Lake Toba tilapia farm in Indonesia became the first farm in the world to gain certification against the ASC standards.
-- IntraFish Media
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Tuesday, April 21, 6.00 pm CET
Premium shrimp, premium price
Sustainability is a buzzword throughout the seafood industry but within the global shrimp industry it has become a real selling factor.
Madagascan frozen shrimp producer Unima knows that all too well, and Valerie Croix-Marie, marketing director at the firm, believes the company’s commitment to sustainable production is finally paying off.
The company’s farming model is an easy one: minimal impact to the environment, low-density stocking models (five to 10 times lower than in intensive farming in Asia), and GMO-free feeds from Unima’s own production.
Unima’s shrimp are also the only ones allowed to bear the Label Rouge.
For this, the company usually charges twice the price compared to Asian vannamei in its main markets France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, China, Japan and United States, Croix-Marie said.
In 2015, the company expects to produce 4,000 metric tons of eco-certified shrimp. In 2016, it plans to harvest 6,200 metric tons – through the addition of new ponds rather than increasing stocking densities.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Tuesday, April 21, 5.45 pm CET
Angulas Aguinaga to expand in UK retail
Spanish seafood and surimi giant, Angulas Aguinaga, is to expand its presence in Britain, and through its partner Winterbotham Darby will roll out its shrimp skewers and cooked and peeled shrimp tails in the coming weeks.
“We will be launching more products in the Coop with Winterbotham Darby in two weeks time,” Jacobo Mugica, export manager at Angulas Aguinaga, told IntraFish.
Winterbotham Darby, the owner of the “Unearthed” brand in Waitrose has been selling a number of seafood products with Angulas Aguinaga since 2013 as the Spanish company attempts to open up markets in the UK.
Angulas Aguinaga is seeing a 50 percent growth in exports year on year, Mugica said, albeit from a low base. The company saw revenues of around €100 million in 2014 and exports account for 10 percent of this, he said.
Angulas Aguinaga’s current focus is on pushing its new salmon range in Spain – in partnership with Marine Harvest’s Olav brand. The Olav range includes fresh salmon fillets as well as smoked salmon products.
Additionally, since acquiring a new facility from Linamar Group last year, the company is introducing a new mussels range, which is already in most Spanish retailers as well as those in France and Italy.
The range includes clean live mussels, ready to eat mussels in sauces, pots of mussel meat and pasteurized mussels in vacuum packs.
--Dominic Welling
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Tuesday, April 21 5.30 pm CET
Taking a year out
Pittman Seafoods is looking back at a very busy year: It invested and completed the construction of a new production line at its Belgian plant, opened a new subsidiary in France, introduced new lobster and scallop products under the Chez Vous label, and launched its Pittman Seafoods Academy, which includes a test kitchen for suppliers and customers.
“In 2014 we grew a lot in turnover, 2015 is about consolidation, to cement our solid position,” Yoke Vanderpitte, second-generation managing director at the company, said.
“It’s still very tough competition out there – growing in turnover is not difficult but to keep the margins is,” she said.
Going back on quality is out of question, which is why Pittman is taking a year to get to grips with the new business structure.
New markets will be tackled again in 2016 and 2017, the strategy for the years is not defined yet, Vanderpitte said.
“Step-by-step” is the way to go, she told IntraFish.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Tuesday, April 21, 5.00 pm CET
Kyokuyo pushes cook from frozen range in EU
Japanese seafood heavyweight Kyokuyo's European arm is at the Seafood Expo in Brussels, pushing its Dandori Jyozu Series Selection – ‘easy cooking seafood products.’
Kiyoshi Hattori, managing director of Kyokuyp Europe, told IntraFish the company particularly wants to promote its “cook without defrosting” range of boneless fish portions.
The frozen range, which includes mackerel, hoki, wild salmon, yellowfin sole, cod, redfish, pollock, halibut and amberjack, is already popular in Japan and there is plenty of potential in Europe as well, said Hattori.
“We use our own special processing method which preserves the umami,” Hattori said. “There is no soaking in salt water, no chemicals added and no need to thaw before cooking.”
The range is targeted at “busy people who enjoy home cooked meals,” and cooks up in minutes. But it is also good for foodservice, said Hattori, “it can be flavored to your liking.”
-- Dominic Welling
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Tuesday, April 21, 4.30 pm CET
Eastern Europe’s promise for trout
UK trout producer Dawnfresh is looking to expand into the eastern European market, Barry Chung, commercial director at the firm, said.
The company is currently evaluating the region, wanting to diversify from its traditional markets in the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.
“We’re looking for a premium market, not a mass market,” Chung told IntraFish, adding the company is not looking to compete with producers such as Morpol or Suempol.
Commenting on the losses reported in the last financial year, Chung simply said “the business is moving into the right direction.”
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Tuesday, April 21, 4.14 pm CET
Panga market ‘not healthy’ at the moment
It is now up to the industry in Vietnam to take the next steps to improve the image of pangasius, and for the moment there is little more that can be done by Eu importers until that happens, according to Frans Zeeman, purchasing manager at Seafood Connection.
At last year’s Brussels, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)-certified exporters met with Dutch importers Seafood Connection and Anova, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) and the government to discuss strategies to import more "untreated" pangasius products into Europe.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) issued a decree ruling that as of June 2014, the moisture content in exported frozen pangasius fillets must not exceed 83 percent, and limits glazing to 10 percent. This decree is still yet to be implemented.
But despite all the efforts, the industry is “really not healthy” at the moment, said Zeeman.
On the second day of this year’s expo, there will be another pangasius forum where the importers will discuss what will happen next, but really “it is up to the industry in Vietnam to take the next steps,” Zeeman said.
According to him, pangasius prices are at their lowest level since 2009 and something needs to be changed to reboot the industry.
“But everybody needs to do it… if they don’t change, we cannot change,” said Zeeman.
And prices are down because the demand is not there. “there are no big deals, no big volumes,” even among the big players in the market.
Pangasius is still Seafood Connection’s main product, with the company importing around 15,000 to 16,000 metric tons per year.
In 2011 when prices were high Seafood Connection did big volumes.
“We prefer higher prices because it means there is a more sustainable chain where everybody makes a profit.”
As it happens the market at the moment is not very healthy, the factories in Vietnam are built for big volumes, and now they need to change this to focus on quality.
“But it is difficult to completely change a whole industry,” said Zeeman.
-- Dominic Welling
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Tuesday, April 21, 4.06 pm CET
Tilapia rising
Brazil is continuing its drive towards quadrupling aquaculture production, with tilapia, shrimp and native Amazonian species at the heart of this year’s BRL2 billion (€617 million/$660 million) investment.
Tilapia is its biggest earner, with production of 250,000-300,000 metric tons per year going largely to the US market, explained Brazilian director at the Ministry of Fisheries & Aquaculture Sebastiao Saldanha Neto when we spoke to him on Brazil’s stylish country pavilion this afternoon.
The United States is still Brazil’s biggest market, but the country is also trying to expand in Europe and China, with plans for a presence at one of the country’s big shows this year.
Meanwhile the country is still working to get last year’s European Commission import tariff hike softened. Import tariffs went from 2 to 12 percent on the back of Brazil’s improved economic status, which Neto’s colleague Emerson Raiol described as ‘typical’. “We were just warming up, and then this came,” he said.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Tuesday, April 21, 3.15 pm CET
Sole top, turbot flop?
It’s been six weeks since Stolt Sea Farms harvested it first sole from its new plant in Iceland.
While it is still figuring out all the details in terms of logistics and end markets, it has been a promising start, Enrique Corrales, commercial director at the firm, told IntraFish.
The farm is currently running at a capacity of 60 to 70 percent, which will gradually be stepped up.
And the company is already mulling over new production sites, Corrales said, but also this will happen step-by-step.
“There will be no decision until we complete one full cycle at the Icelandic plant,” he said.
While the sole market is seeing a promising development, turbot is experiencing another difficult year.
Overproduction is still crippling the sector, resulting in low market prices.
"But we try to offer the best quality and service, I think that’s most important,” Corrales said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Tuesday, April 21, 3.09 pm CET
Middle East shift for China tilapia behemoth
The Middle East is solidly on the radar for Chinese tilapia giant Baiyang Aquatic. But the Israeli market, which was previously buying 20 percent of the company’s product, has recently introduced stricter import checks and is pushing Baiyang towards new markets like Iran and others in the Middle East.
Buying 180,000 metric tons of raw material from hundreds of local farmers, Baiyang processes the product across 7 factories and ships 60,000 metric tons of finished product per year but has no immediate plans to expand.
“The last four to five years we grew fast, so now we need to stabilize,” said Alex Yu, international trade manager.
Yu also told us that China seafood processors are now paying an average $800 (€747) a month to its factory workers -- a marked difference from the $2-300 (€187-280) paid by competitors like Thailand.
Meanwhile, Yu reports the same optimistic tales of domestic market opportunities as many of the Chinese companies at the show, citing a RMB 150 million (€22.6 million/$24.2 million) market for the company’s product in China next year.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Tuesday, April 21, 3.01 pm CET
And the labeling mess continues
Not much has changed since Olafur Olafsson, managing director of Espersen subsidiary Espersen Seafood in Spain, last talked to IntraFish about the enforcement of the new EU labeling laws, which came into force in December 2013.
“There is still a lot of confusion and very few companies are applying the legislation all the way – at least in Spain,” he said.
Many processors are still avoiding the declaration of the net weight without glaze as a unit, he said, which “creates concern” on the market.
Everyone, he said, “should be playing according to the rules.”
Either the regulation is enforced and everyone applies it, otherwise the rules are obsolete, Olafsson urged.
“But at the moment is simply not a level-playing field,” he said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Tuesday, April 21, 2.45 pm CET
TUF CEO: EU yellow card 'disappointing news'
After the European Union (EU)'s announcement of the 'yellow card' issuance to Thailand, Thai Union Group (TUF) said it will be stepping up its efforts to support the Thai government in working towards compliance with the European Commission requirements.
Thiraphong Chansiri, president and CEO of TUF, said in a statement sent to IntraFish, that this is "rather disappointing news.
"However while the yellow card is a warning to Thailand, it should also be seen as an opportunity to aggressively move forward the Thai fishing industry towards sustainable fisheries management and conservation of marine resources," he said.
Click here to read the full story.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Tuesday, April 21, 2.34 pm CET
Costco confusion
Chilean Atlantic salmon prices have trended down since the beginning of the year, and so far have shown no indications of firming up. With the wild salmon season around the corner, it’s unlikely we’ll see any big run on prices in the immediate future.
A source at one major Chilean seafood company said the industry is more confused than ever about retail giant Costco’s decision to shift a hefty portion of its salmon toward Norway.
With Costco’s multiple divisions, the speculation is that the Eastern part of the country will be served by Norway given its proximity, while the Western half of the country will continue to be Chile’s territory.
Coho salmon prices are equally soft, and though inventories in Japan are low, with a huge Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run expected, it’s likely we’ll see that market struggle as well, the source said.
--Drew Cherry
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Tuesday, April 21, 1.55 pm CET
Regal Springs launches fresh tilapia into EU
Regal Springs is launching fresh tilapia loins and fillets into the European market, the first producer to make this move.
Despite the fact tilapia is still a “fringe fish” in Europe, Regal Springs is confident a market is there to be developed.
The new fresh products will be imported by refrigerated airfreight from Mexico, and to start with will be distributed exclusively through Elafood.
Francis Yupangco, marketing manager at Regal Springs told IntraFish, the company plans a significant push for tilapia in the EU.
“We want to promote it as a replacement to other whitefish, and will be rolling out new omni-channel marketing campaigns,” he said.
Regal Springs prides itself on offering a premium Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) – certified product and will initially target markets sensitive to this logo.
“To create more demand requires changing peoples’ perceptions of the fish,” said Yupangco.
The fresh product will be sold at a premium and not at a low cost, in order to differentiate the product from other cheaper whitefish such as pangasius.
“We will not be competing on price, but on quality. We have had a lot of success with fresh tilapia in the United States and we want to emulate that in Europe.”
Regal Springs currently maintains a steady supply of around 2,500 metric tons of tilapia into the EU market.
“First it is about creating the consumer demand and then finding the right partners to promote it,” said Yupangco. “There are many opportunities for tilapia in Europe and we want to be at the forefront.”
-- Dominic Welling
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Tuesday, April 21, 1.40 pm CET
Chang International makes changes to US operations
Jerry Chang, owner of Chang International, has taken over management of the company's US operations, after Ron Steckler left the company earlier this month.
Chang International sells product throughout North America under its Ocean Gala brand, largely to foodservice clients.
"I want to thank Ron for the eight years he spent here contributing to the growth of the company," Chang said.
Chang International operates logistics, sales and buying offices in Qingdao, China, and Kirkland, Washington.
The company includes Chang International, North America, Qingdao Evergreen Foods (ltd.), Chang International (Qingdao), and Qingdao Rizheng Trading Company, which serves as the importer and distributor of global food products for the Chinese market.
-- John Fiorillo
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Tuesday, April 21, 1.32 pm CET
Capitaine Houat targets shift away from Intermarche; ups exports
By 2020, Intermarche-owned processor Capitaine Houat plans to be selling at lease 20 percent of its product into other retailers in France than its parent.
Currently the company sells 95 percent of its products to Intermarche and 5 percent to other retailers in France, with limited exports.
According to Ronan Lorec, sales manager at Capitaine Houat, the company’s focus is now on developing new export markets in countries such as Italy and Germany, as well as move away from selling just to Intermarche.
Capitaine Houat, which had revenues of €230 million in 2014, wants to grow exports 10-15 percent, said Lorec, and develop new business with other retailers in France.
“At the moment it is difficult to work with other supermarkets because we are with Intermarche,” said Lorec.
Capitaine Hoaut has three plants in France producing around 40,000 metric tons of seafood per year.
“We plan to grow and we have space to grow,” said Lerec, “but it is also difficult to find the right staff who can work in processing plants and fillet.”
-- Dominic Welling
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Tuesday, April 21, 1.28 pm CET
Thai tilapia for EU market
It’s Thai tilapia farmer KCF’s first year exhibiting at the Brussels show -- a move made on the back of its recent EU export certification explained the company’s Filipino Import and Export Supervisor Gil Enmanuel .
But KCF (not to be confused with KFC) is no small fry. With 91 tilapia ponds, three processing factories and its own feed production, the company is already established in Middle Eastern, US and African markets, shipping 40-50 containers a month.
With a background in salted egg production -- some might say not a natural stepping stone to aquaculture production -- Managing Director Konjanart Sornmayura has invested heavily in what he sees as a lucrative industry.
For now KCF is focused on building partnerships with European buyers. “It’s about long term growth,” said Enmanuel.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Tuesday, April 21, 1.23 pm CET
Chinese squid processor opens ninth factory to meet growing domestic demand
Squid trade is not so good this year as last, but this hasn’t stopped Chinese reprocessor Dalian Donglin opening a new mechanised factory last year to meet growing demand – its ninth to date, sales rep Doreen Li explained to IntraFish.
Processing largely squid sourced from Peru, the Netherlands and other sources alongside some pollock, grouper, sole, cod and salmon, Donglin has seen a rapidly growing domestic Chinese market, with half of its product now distributed there, and the other half going to the United States and Europe.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Tuesday, April 21, 1.22 pm CET
Holding steady in a volatile environment
Danish trading giant Uhrenholt has seen an interesting trend in the EU shrimp market: let’s call it the incredible shrinking package.
To keep the price point below €4.99, companies reduced their product sizes to as low as 200 grams.
“That’s only a few shrimp,” laughed Uwe Thellmann, senior vice president at the company.
With prices softening, now trading companies have the challenge of convincing their foodservice and retail buyers that they should pass on some of those savings to them.
Low demand in the United States and the EU is dragging down farmed shrimp prices, Thellmann noted, but unlike other buyers, Uhrenholt buys around 80-85 percent on contract, which keeps its inventory low, and makes it more immune to the highs and lows of supplies and prices.
That doesn’t mean Uhrenholt is immune to the markets – the company’s Russian operations took a hit of some 30 percent as consumers there drew away from out-of-home purchases.
“It was tough,” Thellmann said.
--Drew Cherry
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Tuesday, April 21, 1.19 pm CET
The shrimp price sigh
If you want to induce a look of exhaustion in anyone at the show today then it seems asking them how the shrimp price is going to go in the next 6 months is the way to do it.
“If I knew that I would be a millionaire,” said Expalsa President Humberto Trujillo.
But the general consensus, at least for Ecuadorian producers is that prices should remain stable.
“There is a lot of speculation at the moment but it is important that prices should remain stable at this point otherwise we will see a drop in production,” said Trujillo, who said Ecuadorian farmers are selling on a very small margin.
With the ‘EMS effect’ fading, prices have dropped 25-30 percent since last year’s peak, and India’s increasing vannamei production in particular is looking to give competitors a run for their money, according to Trujillo.
But Expalsa has no plans to take a back seat, with its 20% per year production growth targets still on track and increases in the Korean, Russian and Egyptian markets in particular.
“We’ve always believed we have to do things differently,” said Trujillo. “We have always been a leader in that respect.”
-- Rachel Mutter
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Tuesday, April 21, 1.18 pm CET
Setraco expands with Belgian processing hub
After moving to its new headquarters in Veurne, Belgium, two years ago, frozen supplier Setraco is now planning to start processing at the site too.
“We had some space left,” Olivier Van Isacker, COO and member of the management committee at the firm, told IntraFish.
The company, which has plants in France and England, is currently assembling the production space and plans to be online in three to four months.
The move comes with a greater focus on value-added production, and the concept of seafood as an ingredient, offering different frozen fish and shrimp with sauces “to deliver the world’s tastes” to retail customers.
While Europe is still the company’s biggest market but “we open our scope to different markets,” Van Isacker said.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Tuesday, April 21, 1.02 pm CET
Saucy Fish eyes more global markets in expansion push
Saucy Fish is looking to expand its range into markets other than the United Kingdom and the United States and is in conversations with a number of global retailers, according to Simon Smith, CEO of Icelandic Seachill.
The company is targeting growth of 10-15 percent this year, but cannot grow too much more in the United Kingdom where it is already very well established.
Saucy launched last year in the US where, according to Smith, things are now snowballing.
“We had a fabulous show in Boston and we were overwhelmed by new leads. We are seen as a well established brand and we will launch in other retailers there very soon.”
Other than that the company is open to growing in other markets in Europe, Asia and beyond.
“To grow the brand further in the United Kingdom, we will have to launch into other categories, which is probably the next step,” Smith said.
Saucy Fish has just launched its latest product, Chorizo, Squid & King Prawns with Sherry & Herb Sauce in Tesco and it’s already in Ocado, Waitrose and Booths in the UK.
In the US the brand is in Giant Carlisle, Giant Landover, and Hannaford stores.
-- Dominic Welling
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Tuesday, April 21, 12.45 pm CET
Selonda: 34 years of highs -- and lows
Greek bass and bream producer Selonda is celebrating its 34 years in business with the launch of a new book, celebrating the company’s history.
Selonda started off in 1981, founded by the Stephanis brothers, and developed from a production capacity of 127 metric tons of bass and bream in the late 1980s to 22,000 metric tons today.
Revenues in the three decades jumped from €1.7 million to around €230 million.
The book is highlighting the “golden years” but also talks about the difficulties the firm was facing in the past five years, Basil Sudborough, marketing and export manager at Selonda, told IntraFish.
The sector’s biggest issues had been overproduction, which led to plummeting prices, and “trying to become a multinational through unsuccessful investments abroad,” he said.
The culture of “over-borrowing” from banks, which were more than willing to lend, also played a massive role, Sudborough said.
But, after successful refinancing last year, the company is now heading towards a more positive future, he said.
“The focus is on profitability after some bad years. We have to prove again that it’s a viable industry.” The most important thing is to keep the balance between supply and demand, to develop new markets and new channels in existing markets, he said.
“The future is looking good. We will be back to sunny days after the big storm.”
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Tuesday, April 21, 12.28 pm CET
Suempol to expand with new production plant
Polish salmon smoker Suempol has one clear goal: growth.
After making France one of its production hubs with the acquisition of Marcel Baey in July 2013, the company is now planning to expand its reach in northern Europe.
In 2014, the firm opened a sales office in the Netherlands. A production plant will follow soon, Marcin Wojciuk, CEO of Suempol-owned Norfisk Berlin, told IntraFish.
The project is still in its planning stages, he said, and he was unable to talk about planned production capacity or location.
“But it will be the biggest one in the Netherlands,” he said.
Construction is slated to kick off in early 2016.
According to Wojciuk, the total Suempol Group reported a turnover of around €200 million to €250 million last year, processing 60,000 metric tons of raw materials.
--Elisabeth Fischer
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Tuesday, April 21, 12.16 pm CET
Betting big on Marel
Icelandic processing group Vísir hf. signed a deal for a major investment into its shore-based plant – a new Flexicut machine from Marel, which was released free for sale. The deal was announced at the show, but more details of the agreement will be released within the next few days.
Marel feels FleXicut will be the centerpiece of the next generation in whitefish processing. It uses two processing steps in one machine: precisely locating the pinbones and then cutting the fillet to remove them and portion the fish to customer specifications, either skin-on or skin-off.
Vísir CEO Pétur Pálsson said, "this is one of the biggest steps towards automation that we’ve seen for a very long time in fish processing technology" because it reduces the need for skilled labor, increases throughput, increases product diversity and improves overall yield and quality. Its neat footprint makes it easy to integrate into most existing factory layouts.
Vísir will install the first FleXicut in May and a second later this year, but the company has been running FleXicut as part of a development agreement since February.
“We’re definitely seeing that the variety in products that we can produce, and having uniform product every time, are great benefits,” Pálsson said, adding that this is a "significant step in 2015 as Vísir celebrates its 50th year of operating."
“Working together with a company like Marel can bring high value to the industry."
--Drew Cherry
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Tuesday, April 21, 12:15 pm CET
New fish feed ingredient readies for market launch
California-based sustainable firm Calysta, Inc. is launching what it claims is a proven new fish feed ingredient that can reduce the aquaculture industry’s reliance on unsustainable wild fish stocks.
FeedKind Protein is expected to be introduced to the Scottish and Norwegian aquaculture sectors in 2018.
FeedKind Protein is a microbial protein that provides a cost-competitive alternative to conventional fishmeal, the company said. The protein, produced with minimal land and water use, is non-GMO and approved in the EU for all fish and livestock species.
“FeedKind Protein can replace fishmeal and soy protein with a nutritious, naturally occurring protein, and offer consumers a new option that is sustainable and healthy," said Alan Shaw, CEO of Calysta.
-- John Fiorillo
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Tuesday, April 21, 12:10 pm CET
Alaska's RFM certification going through some changes
The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute’s RFM sustainable seafood certification program is going through some changes. The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) is expected to become the client for the RFM's Alaska salmon certificate, while pollock, cod and other species under the program will be managed by other Alaska interests.
Although nothing has been decided, parties are also exploring whether ASMI will continue to own the program, as it does now.
The RFM program, in addition to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) scheme and other sustainable seafood certification programs, are involved in a pilot project to test the much-anticipated Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI) benchmarking system.
The GSSI, formed in 2013, is expected to provide a consistent global benchmarking tool to provide transparency between labeling and seafood certification programs. The GSSI benchmarking framework consists of different criteria and indicators based on FAO. The benchmarking tool is being developed by three expert working groups that cover aquaculture, fisheries, and the procedural, institutional and evaluation processes of seafood certification.
-- John Fiorillo
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Monday, April 20, 7.46 pm CET
Be part of the conversation
Ignore social media at your peril was the message coming from NSC's communications director Geir Bakkevoll in his presentation this evening.
He cited a YouTube campaign by one United Airlines customer who's guitar was damaged by the company's baggage handlers and to date has almost 15 million views as an example of how effectively a bad experience can be conveyed to a large audience in this day and age.
You must assume there is an ongoing conversation about your brand in social media spheres, he said, and it is key to success that companies show openness and accessibility.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Monday, April 20, 7.15 pm CET
Integrated aquaculture providing for feed trial at Leroy
What did you do for the environment today? Solveig van Nes began her presentation with a thought-provoking question (partly in an effort to keep the audience awake after what had already been over an hour or presentations, she admitted to us at the break).
Van Nes is aquaculture manager at environmental NGO Bellona, which is partnering with some exciting projects aimed at sustainable energy and food production.
One, the Sahara Forest Project, is growing plants and microalgae in a desert greenhouse in Qatar where solar energy is used to pump saltwater into the glasshouse, where it evaporates, cooling the environment and providing moisture.
She also outlined Bellona's partnership with salmon producer Leroy on an integrated aquaculture project producing salmon and extractive species like worms and blue mussels -- a food in its own right, but also currently being trialled in feed for the salmon themselves.
"I hope the world opens it eyes to integrated aquaculture," said van Ness. "There is no doubt to us at Bellona that the future lies in the ocean."
-- Rachel Mutter
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Monday, April 20, 6.24 pm CET
Nihao Norwegian cod
Nouwei beiji xueyu.
For those of you who don’t speak Mandarin, this is the chosen name for Norwegian arctic cod in China where there is a market for 20,000 tons in 2,500 restaurants serving 30 million customers. And this is a conservative estimate, according to Norwegian Seafood Council’s (NSC) China Director Sigmund Bjorgo.
Growing middle class, increasing urbanization, and food safety scandals are helping open up the Chinese market to imported product, and groundwork by NSC means 42 percent of Chinese consumers already have an automatic association between Norway and seafood.
In terms of cod though, the market is virtually zero, with exports into the country largely being reprocessed and exported straight back out.
Current whitefish in the market sits in three distinct categories according to Bjorgo:
- Freshwater fish farmed in Chinese lakes and rivers -- perceived to have low nutritional benefits, but cheap and available;
- Coastal fish --a little more expensive, with a perception of higher nutritional benefits, generally sold frozen; and
- Deepsea whitefish -- frozen and produced far away from Chinese borders, perceived to be from clean and unpolluted waters, with good nutritional qualities and high price.
And Norwegian cod could have a home somewhere inbetween the higher two categories, according to Bjorgo.
To start positioning the product NSC has been working closely with exporters, carrying out market research amongst chefs and consumers across Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu.
According to Bjorgo, the results were unusually good, with 89 percent of chefs and 97 percent of consumers saying they would use/buy the product given access.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Monday, April 20, 6.03 pm CET
Modernizing stockfish
Giovanni: he’s 30-49 years old with an above average income and he’s Italy’s new stockfish consumer, according to Merete Kristiansen, Norwegian Seafood Council’s country director for Italy.
But there’s a lot of work to be done, with Norwegian stockfish exports to Italy standing at 60 percent of what they were in the early ‘90s.
The challenge with Giovanni is that he is unlikely to think a week ahead about a meal, leaving him no time to soak the traditional dried stockfish product. This is a shift from the product’s traditional consumer ‘Nonna Maria’ who was all too ready to soak and prepare the fish from scratch.
Innovation is needed to transport the ‘food of the Vikings’ into the 21 century, was Kristiansen’s message to the largely Norwegian audience.
-- Rachel Mutter
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Monday, April 20, 5.32 pm CET
Bringing down barriers
Against a backdrop of growing markets for Norwegian seafood, Norwegian minister for fisheries, Elisabeth Aspaker, also highlighted the need for constant negotiation and work on trade barriers for Norwegian seafood.
Speaking at the Norwegain Seafood Council's Master Conference on the eve of the world's biggest seafood exhibition, Aspaker said 'seafood exporters have an inbuilt flexibility' citing the quick reaction when the Russian market for Norwegian seafood closed overnight last year -- a ban which simply acted to strengthen exports to the EU, according to Aspaker.
However, Norway is still encountering many obstacles in important markets, including the EU, where imports are still deemed to be a threat to domestic production. The potential for growth is huge and we should be “discussing interdependency and looking at ways to expand markets rather than putting up barriers,” she said.
Norway should not ‘settle for status quo’ in trade relations and should work to constantly move negotiations forward, she said.
Market access in the EU is top priority for Norway, but the country is also focusing on new markets, with partner negotiations with Malaysia, Vietnam and soon the Philippines. “We also have plans for a free trade agreement with India – another interesting seafood market,” said Aspaker.
-- Rachel Mutter
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