Global Aquaculture Alliance Conference

It has been a very informative and interesting week out here in Seattle at the 9^thannual Global Aquaculture Alliance Conference. The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) is a group of members of the seafood industry from all different aspects of the business. There are Processors, Retailers, Foodservice Fortune 500 companies, Distributors and many scientists and industry professionals; all dedicated to the continuation of sound aquaculture practices for farm raised species all over the globe.

The largest topic at this meeting has been about trying to understand the “true” meaning of the word “sustainability.” The global marketplace today has many concerns with respect to aquaculture. The environmental aspects, the social aspects - workplace conditions, underage labor, the food safety issues of producing  healthy and wholesome foods and the traceability from the individual farms through to the processors and then to the distribution chains.  We learned that there are 4 major components of aquaculture which need to have standards and monitoring in order to be deemed a  sustainable system:  The Hatchery, the Individual Farms or Groupings of Farms, the Feed Mills and the Processors. Each group along the way must be committed to creating a sustainable way to bring the end product to the table while following the Best Practices set out by the GAA and others.

The conference focused on many different seafood products that are being farmed today. Salmon, Tilapia, Pangasius, Cod, Cobia, Trout, Catfish and Shrimp to name just a few.  As a whole, the group could vote on different questions put forward and automatically see the results with the new technology that the conference utilized (a smart board questionnaire). The group as a whole stated that we need a single certifying agency that all aquaculture can adhere to (presently there are many certifying agencies), and that the farmed products be wholesome and chemical-free. The group all agreed that the consumers are demanding that the seafood they eat be harvested in a way that does not hurt the surrounding environment and that the businesses involved have a strong sense of social responsibility. Interestingly enough, the group also agreed that while the consumers want these aspects in their farmed food the consumers were not willing to pay more for it!!!

As a buyer of many farmed species, I must say that it was a real pleasure to come together with my customers, vendors and notable scientific officials, to discuss the real time happenings of seafood aquaculture. There is an enormous amount of work still to be done; however there have been many successes as well. In two weeks I’ll be off to the real farms to take what I learned in “Aquaculture Class” this week.  I will be actually speaking  with the shrimp farmers in Thailand to see what is really happening at the farm level - stay tuned……..

General State of Seafood

Eat Seafood Twice a Week!

I just returned from attending the Groundfish Forum held in Iceland.  The leaders of the world’s groundfish industry were all present discussing the status of groundfishstocks and markets.  As this is an invitation only event I always feel privileged to be included in such esteemed company.  Two presentations stand out in my mind given by speakers reporting on the retail and foodservice sectors of the US.  Independently, both presenters had come to a similar conclusion:  Seafood has an unprecedented, historic opportunity ahead!

As a protein, seafood is always fighting the price issues compared to beef, pork and chicken.  Seafood historically has been higher priced than these alternatives.  This price difference has been a detriment to expanding seafood consumption in the US.  However the trends ahead might just level this playing field. 

Due to a variety of reasons, there are less cows and pigs being raised than in the past.  If the economic data is to be believed prices on these proteins should rise as supply decreases.  The price difference between seafood and warm blooded protein should be much less than in the past.  Also, warm blooded protein does not offer the health benefits that seafood does.  We have an aging, fatter population in the US that truly needs fish in their diet.  The health benefits are well documented. We, the seafood industry, need to get the message out there!  Eat seafood twice a week!

In the macro picture of protein this could be unprecedented times. There will be the less of a price difference for seafood when compared to warm blooded protein alternatives. We, the seafood industry need to take advantage of this minimized pricing differential.  But in order to take full advantage, we need to present seafood as one industry to the marketplace, not fragmented into specie groups.

Having battle scars from earlier efforts to form a cohesive seafood marketing plan, (does anyone remember “Generic Marketing”?), it really is time to put our specie differences aside and approach the marketplace with the healthy, cold blooded protein known as Seafood.  Whether it is squid, tilapia, shrimp, octopus or bluefish….seafood consumption in the US has a chance to grow.  The pricing barrier vs. other proteins will be at its lowest level and the need for a healthy, fun protein alternative is at its highest level. Let’s take advantage of this historic opportunity, join forces, and with one voice send a clear message to the consumer:  Eat seafood twice a week!

General State of Seafood best seafood, boston seafood, fresh seafood, frozen seafood, seafood companies, seafood company, seafood expert, seafood experts, seafood products, stavis, value

Branding             

One of the areas that I feel we have done a poor job of in the fresh seafood department is in developing brand loyalty.  No doubt there are plenty of branded products now hitting the case, as well as, a plethora of Private Label branded products.  But the question is - does the customer have any loyalty to these brands or are the products that they purchase driving their decision?  Is there a conventional retail store in this country that does not carry Oscar Meyer bacon, hot dogs and bologna?  Pepperidge Farm cookies?  Campbell’s Soup?  The list can go on at length of brand names that have become must-have products.  Are there any such products in the seafood case?  If a retailer changes from Chicken of the Sea brand shrimp to Contessa does the consumer really care?  Will anyone complain?  Will they even notice?

To make their brand relevant, companies need to define why it is important for the consumer to purchase - they need to develop a reason for the consumer to want to look for and purchase that brand.  As an industry we have spent a lot of time and energy convincing ourselves what the differences are between products - what we need to do is spend more of our resources conveying that message to the end consumer.   Through the power of branding we can convey to customers that the products that they are purchasing are safe, consistent and easy to use.   This, in turn, should lead to more confidence in their purchase and increase consumption.

News in Retail boston seafood, brand identity, branding, consumer, convenience, fresh, massachusetts seafood, quality, retail, seafood expert, seafood experts, stavis

The Best Shrimp…

What is the best shrimp to eat????? As the shrimp buyer here I often get asked this question. The answer is actually interesting and it varies depending upon the individual tastes of the consumer.  When people order steak in a restaurant they are very clear when it comes to what they prefer; the Ribeye which is a fattier, richer, more flavorful piece of meat with good marbling throughout or a Filet Mignon which is a center cut, leaner piece of meat.  When it comes to shrimp though, the consumer is much less clear cut in what “type” of shrimp they like or even know about.

Shrimp can be different in looks and tastes simply by method, i.e. farmed or wild. Shrimp can also be vastly different in looks, tastes and cooking time by species: Penaeus Vannamei (whites), Penaeus Subtilis (brown), Penaeus Monodon (tigers) or Machrobrachium Rosenbergii (freshwater). In the shrimp world, we use the Latin or scientific names when purchasing shrimp so that all of the sellers and buyers worldwide understand exactly the species that they are buying. This is a cute footnote to all parents who are struggling with their teenagers taking Latin in schools. The kids will say, “when in real life would we EVER use this?” you can then shoot back with the fact that the international seafood community uses Latin in buying and selling.

The Penaeus Vannamei or white shrimp are typically sold in many forms and can be from Mexico, Ecuador, Panama, Indonesia, Vietnam, India and other areas of Southeast Asia and South America. They can be wild or farmed and are also caught in the Gulf of Mexico. The US domestic shrimp industry thrives with white shrimp harvested from the Gulf of Mexico in Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Alabama. Typically, farmed raised shrimp have a very mild flavor and have a nice uniformity so that all of the shrimps in one size look the same in shape. The farmed whites can be softer in feel in the mouth vs. a wild white. The South American farmed whites are typically firmer than the Asian farmed whites.

Wild caughtwhites can vary greatly in flavor depending upon where they are caught. The Mexican whites are a very “meaty” shrimp with a good crunch and a sweet flavor. The Domestic Gulf whites can be a bit softer in the mouth and can have a “shrimpier” flavor, but are also sweet.

The Penaeus Subtilisor Browns are a “strong” flavored shrimp which can have a bit of astringency in the flavor profile due to their higher iodine content. Many different regions of the country prefer these shrimp, especially in the South and Southwest, and in Maryland and the Carolinas.  The taste of these wild caughtbrowns is VERY “shrimpy”; which, in other markets can be objectionable.

The Penaeus Monodon or black tiger shrimp  can be farmed or wild caught.  However, in the US, black tigers are generally farm raised from India, Vietnam, Bangladesh or Indonesia. These shrimp can be a bit saltier and firmer than a white, but when cooked, have a beautiful bright orange color.  They have a nice crunch but if overcooked, can become tough especially since they have a shorter cooking time than white shrimp.

The Machrobrachium Rosenbergii are farmed freshwater shrimp.  These are typically prepared grilled, sautéed or baked and should never be boiled.  They have a very different taste and texture to the whites, browns or black tigers. They are plain in flavor with a texture and consistency that is closer to lobster than to shrimp. These are very firm and mild and they pick up marinades very well. Since they can grow quite large their cooked presentation can be quite dramatic.

So which is my favorite???? Well I like them all. As noted, some work better for frying and some work better for marinating and grilling; so there really is no correct answer. When we have done taste tests between farmed whites and farmed tigers with our 15 salespeople the results are usually split right down the middle. Half of the people prefer the milder and softer white; while the other half enjoy the brighter color, crunch and brininess of the tiger.

Shrimp best seafood, Domestic Shrimp, market, quality, seafood companies, seafood company, seafood expert, seafood experts, seafood products, Shrimp, stavis, value

Fresh Swordfish

High quality Fresh Swordfish is currently at historically low prices. There is also no better time of the year to find the highest quality and freshest-to-market, swordfish around. This premium fish is harvested off the coast of Halifax, Nova Scotia in an area known as the Emerald Basin. The cold, clean, waters of the Emerald Basin are home to some of the largest, fattiest, best tasting swordfish found anywhere in the world.

Harvested by long line Canadian fishing vessels, these large Atlantic Ocean swordfish are prized for their freshness, firm meat and taste. The cold waters of Eastern Canada makes these fish very fat which gives the meat a lot of flavor.  This is very similar to what marbling does for the flavor of beef. The more fat, the more flavor!

These fish are not available year round. They have been available since August, but fishing boats have almost caught their quotas and the weather is starting to get nasty. This means that if you don’t buy these within the next few weeks, you will have to wait until next summer to have the chance to enjoy them again. Don’t miss out! If you are a lover of swordfish, now is the time to experience the best eating swordfish ever.  Just make sure that what you are buying is Emerald Basin, Canadian, Long Line Swordfish. You will not be sorry!

Fresh Fish best seafood, boston seafood, Emerald Basin, florida seafood, fresh, Fresh Fish, fresh seafood, fresh swordfish, market, massachusetts seafood, miami, quality, seafood companies, seafood company, seafood distributors, seafood expert, seafood experts, seafood products, stavis, swordfish, value

Imported Loligo Squid

There are several significant Loligo squid species imported into the US.  The two most significant are: Loligo chinensis (from China) and Loligo vulgaris (from India).  The one that offers the most value to the US consumer and is packed similar to US domestic squid is the Loligo chinensis squid from China.

Loligo chinensis is caught in the South China Sea and is typically brought to shore fresh.  There are Taiwan boats that freeze at sea, but the majority of the squid caught in the South China Sea is processed from fresh or first land frozen and then processed later.  Loligo chinensis is treated with a tenderizing agent during the cleaning process.  Very few US Squid importers list the tenderizing agent as an ingredient on their cleaned squid package.  BOSN calamari is one Chinese squid brand that has all the proper ingredients listed and is true net weight.

Loligo Chinensisafter processing is white, tender and neutral in flavor.  The US market prefers a tender squid with neutral flavor and this product meets those criteria. It is also packed in the recognizable format of tray and bag and is very competitively priced.   The squid is fully cleaned and tentacles are separated from tubes. The squid is sized by its tube length which mirrors the domestic loligo.

Loligo vulgarisis a loligo squid that comes to the US market primarily from India.  It is whole cleaned which means the tentacles are still connected to the tubes, but the tubes have been skinned and eviscerated.  The pack is typically in a block, not in a tray and bag, like the US or Chinese cleaned squid.  It is block frozen and wrapped in plastic.  Sizing is also typically tube count per kilo, not length of squid tube.

Loligo vulgaris is a very sought after specie around the world.  It is meaty, moderately tender; light colored and has a more pronounced flavor than the Loligo chinensis.  It is also chemically tenderized and the tenderizing ingredients are not usually declared on the package.

Regarding price, Chinese and Indian squid are similarly priced in the market.  The familiarity of the Chinese package versus the more obscure ct/ kg of the Indian squid and unruly block/bag means the Indian calamari is less likely to be found in retail.  Both Indian and Chinese squid packers are known to pack less than net weight, so once again it is critical to understand what one is purchasing.

Cephalopods calamari, cephalopod, fresh seafood, frozen seafood, loligo, market, quality, retail, seafood companies, seafood company, seafood distributors, seafood expert, seafood experts, seafood products, Squid, stavis

Do you know the different trims of Atlantic Salmon?

C TRIM

• Back bone out
• Belly ribs off
• Collar bone off
• Dorsal fin off
• Dorsal fin trimmed
• Fat and belly fin trimmed
• Pinbone out

D TRIM

• Back bone out
• Belly ribs off
• Collar bone off
• Dorsal fin off
• Dorsal fin trimmed
• All belly completely removed with straight vertical cut
• Pinbone out
• Tail trimmed
• Fully trimmed

E TRIM

• Back bone out
• Belly ribs off
• Collar bone off
• Dorsal fin trimmed
• All belly completely removed with straight, vertical cut (not feathered)
• Pinbone out
• Tail trimmed
• Fully trimmed
• Skin off

Salmon atlantic salmon, best seafood, boston seafood, c trim, d trim, e trim, florida seafood, Fresh Fish, fresh seafood, miami seafood, quality, Salmon, seafood company, seafood distributors, seafood expert, seafood experts, seafood products, stavis, value