July 23, 2021 — Rising seafood prices due to inflation continue to cause concern among the entire industry, including retail and foodservice buyers.
Frozen seafood prices experienced the biggest gain in the second quarter of this year – up 9.2 percent versus the same quarter in 2019 to USD 6.96 (EUR 5.95) per pound on average in U.S. grocery stores and mass retailers, according to IRI and 210 Analytics. Frozen prices also grew 3.2 percent in the quarter versus 2020.
June 4, 2021 — U.S. seafood suppliers, processors, and wholesalers are facing a major labor shortage, transportation price hikes, and increased costs of seafood, packaging, and other supplies that are complicating their operations, just as the country looks set to emerge from the yearlong COVID-19 crisis.
National Fisheries Institute President John Connelly said the labor shortage is the latest in a long line of challenges that have beset the industry since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 7, 2021 — Santa Monica Seafood suffered tremendous losses at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – similar to other distributors and processors that primarily relied on the foodservice channel. But the tide has turned in the past year, according to Santa Monica Seafood President and CEO Roger O’Brien.
Due to restaurant closures beginning last March, the Rancho Dominguez, California, U.S.A.-based company saw some of its foodservice customers unable to pay its bills. Others shifted from 30-day payments to paying 60 days out from delivery. Santa Monica was forced to lay off around 25 workers, but kept on more than 750 employees, according to O’Brien.