reLAKSation 212.
Farmed
in…!: According
to IntraFish, the Norwegian Food Authority have criticised frozen manufacturer
Findus for listing the salmon used in some consumer packs as coming from both
Norway and Chile. For example Findus’s 400g portion of Salmon Gourmet
specifies that the salmon is ‘Farmed in Norway/Chile’. However, Boy Asle
Markussen of the Norwegian Food Authority concedes that regulations do not
require Findus to specify the country of origin but argues that they should keep
to one country when they specify its origin. Vidar Ringen of Findus responded
that the company labelled products as required by the regulations although he
admitted that the inclusion of two different countries could confuse consumers.
He added that he didn’t know how much emphasis consumers actually put on
knowing the origin of the fish but their decision to use fish from more than one
origin was dictated by the price consumers were willing to pay.
Interestingly, it is the Norwegian Food Authority that have complained about the dual labelling not the consumers. It’s possible that the Food Authority perceive that as Norway is a primary producer of salmon, Norwegian companies should not be supplying imported salmon. In much the same way, the Scottish salmon industry complained about the use of similar dual labelling in the UK. There are still a few isolated examples where dual labels are used typically stating ‘Farmed in Scotland or Norway’, although there are other examples of different origins. One such example recently launched by supermarket store Sainsbury’s is their “Taste the Difference salmon fishcakes with lemon & dill butter sauce. Chunky fishcakes with tender salmon and Isle of Skye smoked salmon combined with fresh rosti potato, crème fraiche, lemon and a hint of dill.” The reverse of the pack states “Farmed Scottish (UK) salmon or Farmed Norwegian salmon”. Any consumer reading the packaging might be confused as to how Isle of Skye salmon could be farmed in Norway, however, the answer is that the different origins relate to the fresh salmon and not the smoked salmon, which does come from the Isle of Skye.
Scottish
salmon producers have argued that consumers are being misled into buying
Norwegian salmon when they think it is should be Scottish. However, they are
mistaken, the majority of consumers simply don’t care about the origin of the
food they buy. This has been shown in a number of different studies, the latest
of which was published by the Institute of Grocery Distribution in the UK this
week. Their aim was to investigate how connected consumers are with farming and
farm products and how this information can be used to lift demand for British
food. Only one in five consumers are prepared to go out of their way to buy
British even if it means paying more for it. Fifty-one percent said that they
don’t care where their food comes from. Country of origin is actually very low
on the list of what consumers look for. The full list is by percentage of
respondents:
Price
– 72%
Taste
– 55%
Sell
by date – 52%
Brand
– 42%
Healthy
eating – 41%
Appearance
– 37%
Convenience
– 17%
Free
from..(additives etc) – 13%
Country
of origin – 11%
Quality
marks – 10%
Organic
– 9%
Once
again, it is clear that price is the main factor driving consumer purchases
whilst country of origin is largely irrelevant to the wider marketplace. It may
be possible that this survey does not reflect the experience in Norway so that
consumers considering buying Findus salmon products might be deterred
from doing so, but we, at Callander McDowell, suspect that this will not
be the case. Even if consumers express a loyalty to locally produced salmon, the
likelihood will be that what they say and what they do will be two very
different things. There are still sections of the Scottish salmon industry that
continue to believe that it is only necessary to label salmon as Scottish to not
only stimulate demand, but also receive a premium price. It is when these
aspirations fail to materialise, that such producers go running to Brussels to
complain about unfair trade practices, rather than recognise that it is they,
who have failed to understand what consumers really want. Perhaps even the
Norwegian Food Authority may eventually realise that at least in the mass
market, country of origin is simply not an issue.
Locally
produced: At
the end of September, 200 chefs in California were challenged to raise awareness
of where the food on our plates comes from. According to IntraFish, 150,000
diners were served a locally grown meal made entirely from ingredients that were
grown within 150 mils of the kitchen where it was served. The average item on an
American dinner plate travels about 1500 to 2000 miles.
Such
local food awareness is not just increasing in the US but also in the UK. The
issue of Food Miles, the distance
food travels between the field and the plate, has become of increasing concern.
Between 1992 and 2002, the average food miles rose by 15%.
Although
most consumers are not interested in buying British food per-se, the IGD survey
highlighted that 7 out of 10 people are interested in buying local food. As a
result, some British supermarkets are trying to satisfy this need. However, it
is not easy. Waitrose, have introduced a locally produced scheme, where each
branch stocks products produced within a 30 mile radius. The size of the
locality means that the range of products is still very limited, although the
number does vary from store to store. The intention is to give a boost to small
producers who cannot produce enough to supply the whole supermarket network.
There
are clear benefits to be gained from promoting local produce such as by
supporting local farmers and producers, reducing the amount of fuel used in
deliveries and creating local diversity. Yet, an increased emphasis on local
produce could potentially create problems for industries, like salmon farming
which are located in one single area and especially for those producers who
would like to supply the premium end of the market . The new interest in local
food is often tied in with organic production and the growth of local farmers
markets. It is very hard to see how producers based in the north of Scotland can
really capitalise on this new growth market especially as most of the high
spending consumers willing to pay extra for premium products live in the south
east of England.
The
concept of food miles and local produce are attractive but the reality is that
in our modern society, we now live in a global market. Sending food many
hundreds of miles to market may not be environmentally friendly, but it is
essential. The alternative is the salmon industry will not have a viable market
at all. Fortunately, local food is as much a niche market as organic and
therefore there is still a huge opportunity in the wider marketplace. Those
farmers seeking the premium market may need to downplay the local message and
focus on other more important market drivers.
Call
the police!:
In the latest issue of the Salmon Farm Monitor, the SFPG (not to be confused
with the EUSPG, although both organisations seem to have a common aim of trying
to destroy the salmon farming industry) have accused British supermarket chain
Sainsbury’s of theft.
What
have Sainsbury’s done to be accused of such a crime? Well it seems that last
April, Salmon Farm Protest Groups’ chairman, Bruce Sandison had sent two
DVD’s to Sainsbury’s technical director. These DVD’s contained pictures of
the seabed near to the salmon cages used in a Sainsbury’s TV advertisement,
which the SFPG claim has been damaged by salmon farming. Sainsbury’s were
clearly unimpressed and didn’t bother to respond. In August, Mr Sandison wrote
again to Sainsbury’s, this time asking for the return of the DVD’s.
Sainsbury’s
have again chosen to ignore Mr Sandison and as a result he claims that the
supermarket chain has cheated the SFPG and in effect, stolen his DVD’s.
Perhaps, if Mr Sandison had not wanted to lose his DVD’s he shouldn’t have
taken the step of sending them to Sainsbury’s without a request to do so. Mr
Sandison poses the question as to what confidence can shoppers have in a company
that behaves in such an arrogant and dishonest fashion?
The
simple answer is that they can have lots of confidence in Sainsbury’s and
hence buy even more farmed salmon from them.