reLAKSation 13.
Easter Prices: Easter offers on salmon and smoked salmon at British supermarkets. The best price for fresh whole salmon was found at Asda.
1. Sainsburys.
Whole salmon £33.49/kg - half price.
Salmon tail fillet £7.99/kg - save £2.00/kg.
Salmon fillet £6.59/kg - save £1.40/kg.
Salmon fillets £5.99/pack 720g for the price of 480g.
Smoked salmon. 400g for £6.65 - save £3.34/pack.
Isle of Skye smoked salmon 200g for £4.19.- save £2.10/pack.
400g for £7.29 - save £3.70/pack.
2. Safeway.
Salmon fillet £6.99/kg - save £2.00/kg.
Scottish smoked salmon 450g for £4.99 - half price.
3. Tesco.
Whole salmon £3.56/g - save £0.90/kg.
Salmon fillet £6.59/kg - save £1.40/kg.
Salmon steaks 350g for £2.49. - save £0.50/pack.
Salmon fillets 260g for £2.49. - save £0.50/pack.
Smoked salmon 400g for £4.99 - half price.
4. Morrisons.
Whole salmon £3.79/kg - save £0.60/kg.
Salmon fillets £5.49/kg - save £0.60/kg.
Salmon steaks/joints £3.99/kg - save £0.60kg.
5. Marks & Spencers.
Salmon fillets £1.49 each save £0.50.\
Salmon tranche 500g for £4.99 Special offer.
Salmon fillets 25% extra free £9.99/pack - was 6 fillets at 680g - £14.69/kg, now 8 fillets at 850g - £11.75/kg.
6. Co-op.
MacFisheries smoked salmon 50g for £1.39 - save £0.30p/pack
7.Somerfield.
Smoked Scottish salmon 400g for £4.99 - half price.
8. Asda.
Whole salmon - £3.19/kg.
Prepacked whole salmon £3.99/g - save £1.05/kg.
Salmon fillets 390g for £2.99- 50% extra free.
Smoked salmon 400g for £5.99. Buy 2 for £10.00.
9. Waitrose.
Whole salmon - £5.05/kg.
Easter Sales: According to a report in Intrafish, the Easter market for Scottish salmon was not as bad as expected. However, Terry Curran, sales manager of Framgord told Intrafish that 'Easter is not a major event this time'. This is not that surprising, since as we discussed in a previous ReLAKSation, the salmon market at Easter is changing. Increased volume production has made salmon an everyday meal option and therefore it is not considered to be the special treat for Easter as it might have once have been. It is therefore no wonder that Easter has become a non-event.
We previously suggested that as volumes continue to increase, the price of salmon will even out, albeit at a lower level than the industry might like. Sales this Easter give a clear indication of how the once traditional peaks are now disappearing.
Terry Curran confirms that prices are lower than in previous years, but also suggests that sales are also down. Some farmers may have delayed harvesting in the hope that prices may pick up, but this may be wishful thinking, since if prices have not risen at Easter, they are unlikely to do so later.
Interestingly, Mr Curran has also suggested that low prices do not boost demand, but this is contrary to all past evidence. There appears to be a direct relationship between lower prices and increasing market demand. Mr Curran said that if salmon is offered at bargain basement prices than it just does not sell. Yet, when Tesco have previously priced salmon at £2.20/kg, customers could not buy it quick it enough.
The difficulty for the salmon industry is that ever since prices first fell back in 1989, the market for salmon has continued to evolve, The traditional market for salmon was as a luxury product commanding a high market price. Yet, as production volume increased, this luxury image has been devalued, much to the concern of many producers.
However, as the luxury perception of salmon diminishes, then a new image as a value for money every day meal option has dominated the market place. The salmon industry needs to respond to this change in much the same way as the poultry industry did with chicken. This is the challenge ahead.
If producers can react to this challenge, then there should be less concern about fluctuations in the market price. Instead, producers should be able to recover margin from further down the supply chain.
Foot and Mouth: There has been some debate as to whether the fish industry should capitalise on the disease problems of the farming sector by promoting their products to those consumers who might be concerned about the safety of meat. However, at a time when sales of fish might be expected to rise, Terry Curran of Framgord has suggested the reverse has happened and that sales might be down by 24%.
Foot and Mouth disease may have deterred visitors to the countryside, but it appears to have had little effect on meat consumption. This is because, unlike BSE, there are few fears about human safety arising from Foot and Mouth and as such, meat consumption has not declined as much as might have been expected. This is why Foot and Mouth has appeared to have had little influence on the consumption of fish and why sales have not exhibited any dramatic increase.