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Higher and higher: Philippe Barbe of French importer Direct Ocean told IntraFish that salmon prices are becoming dangerously high which could have an adverse affect on consumer demand. He said that such prices would not be an issue if salmon were a luxury product but it is not and there is a limit to what consumers will pay. This view is echoed by Marit Solberg of Marine Harvest who told the North Atlantic Seafood conference that record high prices could lead to declining demand and retailers could be tempted to promote other fish instead. This is what seems to be happening in France where sales of cod are booming whilst interest in salmon has dipped.
Despite the soaring prices, it is still possible to buy fresh salmon fillet for $5.99/lb on promotion. This suggests that consumers still need to be persuaded that salmon is as good value as other fish. It is clear that consumers will not buy salmon at any cost. This is just as true in the UK. Even though retailers have refrained from raising prices as much as possible, consumers can need extra encouragement to consider buying salmon, especially as there is plenty of other value for money offerings available. This week, one supermarket chain has discounted salmon fillet by a third to just £5.98/kg (NOK 52.88/kg). This is a significant cut for a retailer that normally promotes other fish with discounts of around 10% and perhaps an indication that the salmon industry has lost direction.
The salmon industry has been built on producing a ‘value for money’ product that consumers want. If salmon is no longer perceived as ‘value for money’, could it be that consumers may no longer want to buy it?
That pink fish?: If a proposed amendment to the Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) for Scottish Farmed Salmon is approved, it is possible that some salmon farmers will not be able to label their fish as Scottish Farmed Salmon. This will lead to major confusion in the marketplace since current fish labelling legislation requires that fish must be labelled with their name (salmon), their origin (Scotland) and the method of production (farmed) i.e. Scottish Farmed Salmon.
This proposed amendment came to light during the latest Scottish Parliamentary debate on aquaculture (This can be viewed at the Scottish Parliament website). Various MSP’s had clearly been lobbied to push the amendment and several raised the issue during the debate. Unfortunately, what became apparent during the debate was a widespread misunderstanding of the PGI designation. Peter Peacock (Highlands & Islands) said that PGI status protects quality, whilst Liam McArthur (Orkney) said that labeling must be based on demonstrable quality standards. However, the PGI is not a quality standard at all, but rather is intended to protect names of quality agricultural products and foodstuffs from misuse and imitation. The reality is that the PGI has made little difference to the quality image of Scottish salmon. The PGI logo does not appear on any packs of Scottish Farmed Salmon so it has no consumer recognition.
The Scottish industry originally applied for PGI designation because at the time, imported salmon could be packed in the UK and labeled as such. The implication was that the salmon was Scottish when it was not. However, the introduction of fish labeling legislation has meant that fish does need to be clearly labeled with the country of origin making the PGI largely redundant.
However, some enterprising sections of the Scottish industry see that they can use the PGI to their advantage and have tabled an amendment which according to the Fisheries Minister, Roseanna Cunningham, will be put to public consultation. The amendment follows on from a similar change to the PGI for Scotch beef in which the wording has been altered from:
Scotch Beef is derived from cattle finished for a minimum period of three months, slaughtered and dressed in Scotland.
to
Scotch Beef is derived from cattle born, reared throughout their lives, slaughtered and dressed in Scotland.
It would appear that the proposed amendment would only permit salmon to be labeled as Scottish Farmed Salmon if they originate from ova produced in Scotland. This could exclude all salmon grown from imported eggs even though they had been reared throughout their lives in Scottish waters. Shoppers might have to resort to asking their retailer for ‘the pink fleshed fish that are not wild and come from the region north of the town of Carlisle’!!!
The real problem about this proposal is that most consumers don’t actually care. Scotland is keen to promote itself as a producer of the highest quality foods. All the Members of the Scottish Parliament who spoke in the debate re-enforced this view and whilst there are no doubt some consumers who do recognize this quality and are willing to pay more to buy it, many more are not interested. In the case of salmon, such consumers are simply happy to buy whatever represents the best value.
The recent survey commissioned by SeafIsh looking at the attitudes of consumers to chilled and frozen fish found that price and value overrides provenance even amongst Scottish respondents. The focus on high quality produce which the MSP’s see as crucial for Scotland simply excludes many consumers. Now there seems to be an attempt to exclude many salmon too.
Embarrassing cuisine: The Guardian newspaper sketch writer Simon Hoggart recently wrote of a trip to France which he said was a delight, except when it came to the food. He said that ordinary restaurant food has fallen way behind that of Italy and in some respects, even Britain.
Now the Times reports that a scheme to distinguish chefs who upheld traditional French cuisine with the designation of ‘Master Restauranteurs’ has managed to attract only 600 of a planned 20,000 restaurants, brasseries and bistros and has become something of an embarrassment.
The paper says that instead of showing a commitment to locally grown ingredients in gastronomic cuisine, the scheme has underlined how many restaurants now rely on industrially produced, pre-cooked dishes and vacuum packed sauces.
Chairman of the Cuisineries Gourmandes said that it is an understatement to say that the scheme has not been a triumph. However, it is yet another indication of the decline of French cuisine and gourmet food. France has always been perceived as a major target market for quality aquaculture produce, but it may be this perception will have to change as French consumers adapt to different expectations and lifestyles. The emphasis could well change from quality to value for money.
Farmed fish: IntraFish report that Kings Seafood is trying to overcome consumer resistance to farmed seafood. Matt Stein told the World Aquaculture Society that they have begun to label vegetables on their restaurant menus as farmed in the hope that consumers can see farmed fish is no different to other farmed foods.
We, at Callander McDowell, believe that this is a really positive step forward. The public accept other farmed produce without question but the environmental groups have placed doubts in many minds about farmed seafood. This needs to be reversed and Kings Seafood should be applauded for adopting such a simple approach to getting this message across. It’s only a shame that they haven’t gone all the way and highlighted the meat dishes as coming from farmed animals too.