reLAKSation 106.
About
turn! According to IntraFish, the Scottish
industry is full of praise for one of the country’s newest parliamentarians
for his contribution to the recent parliamentary aquaculture debate. Whilst
speaker after speaker bemoaned the impact of cheap imports and pleaded for the
protection of anti dumping duties, John Swinburne MSP asked why there had been
no mention of marketing so far. He
told MSP’s to stop bleating about cheap imports and do more salmon marketing.
He said that making everyone aware of the benefits of salmon as food must surely
be a better road to go down and according to IntraFish, this is exactly the view
that the industry is taking at the moment.
We
at Callander McDowell are surprised, but also pleased to hear this development.
As advocates of more market-led strategies, we have often felt that we have been
a lone voice in the aquaculture wilderness and therefore that the industry is at
long last starting to adopt a similar view is a pleasing development. However,
at the same time, we are surprised, because clearly none of the speakers in the
Scottish Parliament aquaculture debate who were bleating on about cheap imports
and dumping did so on their own volition. Most must have been primed by the
salmon industry to argue this case for protection; the same argument that has
been repeated so many times. Clearly, there has been a rapid about turn, or then
again, perhaps not!
Although
there is nothing novel in what Mr Swinburne has said, it is the fact that he
said it in the Scottish parliament which has made the difference. Even the most
ardent supporter of protectionist measures would find it extremely difficult to
argue the case against Mr Swinburne’s suggestions. Previously, such
discussions have taken place behind closed doors, without the benefit of any
support and therefore the case for a more market-led approach has always been
dismissed by the industry. It is not so easy to ignore similar proposals when
they have been put forward within the confines of the Scottish Parliament.
Perhaps, Mr Swinburne’s intervention could be the incentive to initiate a more
open discussion?
Whilst
we, at Callander McDowell are all in favour of a market-led approach, we are not
100% convinced about whether promotional campaigns are really the way forward
for the industry. These can be extremely costly, yet at the same time are not
necessarily a guarantee that salmon will end up on the consumer’s plate.
Instead, we are more encouraged by Mr Swinburne’s other suggestion that the
industry should work with the authorities to make sure that salmon ends up on
the school dinner menu. This would not only address the issue of children’s
poor diets that is regularly in the news, but also how to convert young people
to the benefits of eating salmon. Mr Swinburne also said that he would like to
see salmon used more in residential homes for the elderly, providing a more
healthy meal choice.
The
Sun shines? The largest circulation British
tabloid newspaper ‘The Sun’ claims that oily fish like salmon is the new ‘superfood’.
They give ten reasons, all supported by research, to put oily fish on your menu:
2.
Makes brainer babies: Women who eat oily fish regularly have brighter babies.
3.
Beats
wrinkles: US skin specialist, Dr Nicholas Perricone has found that a diet rich
in salmon smoothes away wrinkles.
4.
Reduces risk of prostate cancer: Men who do not eat oily fish have a two to
three times higher risk of prostate cancer.
5.
Soothes psoriasis: Diets rich in omega 3 fatty acids help reduce this painful
skin condition, by stabilising the immune system.
6.
Cuts chance of heart attack: As well as reducing heart disease, oily fish can
also help improve the chance of surviving heart attacks.
7.
Reduces risk of asthma: Eating oily fish can dampen down the inflammation of the
lungs.
8.
Lowers risk of breast cancer: Italian woman eating oily fish were found to have
a lower rate of breast cancer.
9.
Alzheimers
protection: People who eat oily fish just once a week were 60% less likely to
get Alzheimers disease.
10.
Beats depression: Oily fish have been found to be nature’s Prozac. This is
because DHA helps boost nerve function in the brain and is linked with higher
levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin.
Perhaps
all those salmon farmers, who are depressed about cheap imports and dumping
should be eating more of their own fish. They then can follow The Sun and
persuade more consumers about the benefits of eating salmon. At least, they
won’t have to convince MSP, John Swinburne. Surely, he will be the first to
welcome the Sun’s campaign.
Twenty-twenty
vision: Seattle based marketing specialist,
Pat Shanahan and consultant Howard Johnson recently told delegates at a
conference in Vancouver that by the year 2020, the seafood industry will be
placing more emphasis on branding, value adding and health promotion. IntraFish
report that whilst these speakers acknowledge that these trends are already in
play today, they think that they will only grow in importance as age and obesity
rise amongst the 70 million ‘baby
boomer’ generation. They suggest that this group already have a predisposition
towards seafood as well as having the disposable income to pay for it. They say
that these ‘consumers will want consumer friendly meal solutions, tailor made
and branded for customers who want something quick bold and healthy’
We,
at Callander McDowell would not disagree although we believe that if the
American seafood industry must wait until 2020 for this vision to become
reality, they will have missed the ‘boat’. Pat Shanahan said that Europe is
leading the way in terms of providing consumers with value added meal solutions,
but we believe that even she has not appreciated how far this market has
developed. She cited two examples of value added meal solutions found in Europe;
one being a seafood cocktail and the other a carppacio of octopus. However,
neither of these can be classed as a meal solution, although there are many
examples already available in Europe, not only as part, but also as complete
heat and serve meals.
Shanahan
and Johnson argue that there is a move towards luxury branding, although
Shanahan could not cite any specific examples. They believe that the way that
the story is told is important to consumers so Alaskan salmon can be branded as
a premium product because of the way it is harvested and handled. They also
believe that country of origin, organic status and sustainability are also
important. We, however, are not so convinced. Once seafood is incorporated into
a meal solution it takes on a new life and consumers look to whether the whole
product meets their needs, rather than focus on the component parts.
Value
adding, branding and health promotion certainly represent the future of seafood
sales, however not in 2020 but now, in 2003.