February 28, 2022 — George H. Berkowitz, founder of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based seafood restaurant chain Legal Sea Foods, died on 20 February, 2022, at the age of 97.
Berkowitz died in his sleep at a retirement home in a suburb of Boston, The Boston Globe reported. Berkowitz is survived by his wife, Harriet (Wiskind) Berkowitz; sons Roger Berkowitz, Marc Berkowitz, and Richard Berkowitz; and several grandchildren.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
February 24, 2022 — The aquaculture industry – and the non-governmental organizations that scrutinize it – rely on complex tools to calculate the impact, effectiveness, and value of marine ingredients to the aquaculture industry.
IFFO, the international trade body that represents the marine ingredients industry, recently completed a review of the primary metrics used to analyze the sector, using the latest available data, reviewed the industry’s performance over the last 20 years.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
February 23, 2022 — American Seafoods Group, one of the largest at-sea processors of Alaska pollock and Pacific hake in the world, announced it has appointed Einar Gustafsson to take over as CEO from Mikel Durham.
The company announced the shift on 18 February, as Durham announced she was stepping down and that was looking forward to “taking a break and spending time with family.” Durham was hired in 2016 and helped turned around the company’s operations after previous debt issues. She also led the company as Bregal sought a suitor for its stake – an effort that has thus far been unsuccessful.
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February 23, 2022 — Shrimp sales to the U.S. foodservice sector rebounded in 2021 from a significant drop in 2020 caused by the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While overall sales haven’t yet caught up to 2019, shifts in demand favored larger-sized shrimp and easier-to-prep trims, according to data shared during the National Fisheries Institute Global Seafood Market Conference in January 2022.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
February 18, 2022 — U.S. grocery sales rose in January, but online grocery orders plummeted as more shoppers made in-store purchases.
Overall retail sales rose 13 percent in January, compared to January 2021, while grocery and beverage store sales jumped 7.8 percent, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
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February 17, 2022 — U.S. Superior Court for the District of Columbia Judge Heidi Pasichow has rejected a motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging Aldi had been deceptive in its claims of sustainability for its fresh Atlantic salmon products.
Filed in January 2021, the lawsuit alleges Aldi’s use of the phrase “Simple. Sustainable. Seafood.” on its Atlantic salmon products “leads consumers to believe that the salmon was farmed in accordance with high environmental and animal welfare standards, but in reality, the salmon are sourced unsustainably,” Toxin Free USA, which is suing Aldi, said in a new press release. GMO/Toxin Free USA is a nonprofit that advocates against the use of GMOs, synthetic pesticides, and other toxins in food products. Its complaint describes the net-pen farms in Chile, the source of some of the salmon sold by Aldi, as using an “ecologically dangerous method” of salmon production in which thousands of fish are crowded into cages or pens.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
February 16, 2022 — Alaska’s U.S. senators have filed a bill that would prohibit the country from accepting seafood imports from Russia.
Republican U.S. Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski filed S.3614, the U.S.-Russian Federation Seafood Reciprocity Act, on Wednesday, 9 February. The bill seeks to respond to Russia’s embargo of American fish and other seafood products that was put in place after the U.S. and its allies placed a series of sanctions against Russia over its takeover of Crimea in 2014.
February 15, 2022 — The following was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced an investment of approximately $50 million in grants to support seafood processors, processing facilities and processing vessels through the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program (SPRS).
This grant funding, to be distributed through state agencies, will help defray costs incurred by seafood processing facilities and processing vessels preparing for, preventing exposure to, and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. SPRS recipients include state agencies, commissions, or departments responsible for agriculture, fisheries, wildlife, seafood, commercial processing, or related commerce activities within Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington, as well as the territory of American Samoa. This program is funded by the Pandemic Assistance provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
“USDA is working with agricultural and food businesses to ensure that, following the pandemic disruptions, they have the resources and tools to continue building more and better markets, and to thrive in 2022 and beyond,” said USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “This funding for seafood processors and processing vessels will serve as a bridge, providing relief to an industry that was greatly affected by the pandemic as well as the resulting changes in consumer demand. This program is part of our larger pandemic assistance program, providing support to producers, distributors, processors and other small agricultural businesses to get our food system back on track.”
Once USDA has made awards, state agencies will provide funds to seafood processing facilities and processing vessels. Seafood processors and processing vessels should apply directly through their state agency. A listing of state contacts will be made available on the USDA website.
Additionally, states are encouraged to prioritize applications that benefit smaller processors and vessels, socially disadvantaged processors, veteran processors, and/or underserved communities. For grants intending to serve these entities, applicants should engage and involve those beneficiaries when developing projects and applications.
A complete list of the SPRS grant recipients is available on the Agricultural Marketing Service website at: Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety (SPRS) Block Grant Program.
AMS supports U.S. food and agricultural products market opportunities, while increasing consumer access to fresh, healthy foods through applied research, technical services, and Congressionally funded grants. To learn more about AMS’s investments in enhancing and strengthening agricultural systems, visit www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
Read the release from the USDA
February 14, 2022 — Increasing inflation and spiking seafood prices hampered the category’s U.S. retail sales in January.
Fresh seafood prices soared 10.8 percent year-over-year in January to USD 8.92 (EUR 7.89) per unit on average, according to new data from IRI and 210 Analytics, led by a 17.2 percent hike in finfish prices. Frozen seafood prices jumped 10.2 percent to USD 9.94 (EUR 8.79) per unit on average, while ambient seafood prices rose 7.2 percent to USD 2.01 (EUR 1.78) per unit compared to 2021.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
February 11, 2022 — U.S. restaurants and supermarket chains are pushing seafood promotions for Super Bowl weekend and Valentine’s Day as near-record spending is predicted.
However, the scheduling of the Super Bowl on 13 February, with Valentine’s Day right behind it on 14 February, could hamper overall retail sales for the two holidays, according to Shawn Oliver, seafood category manager for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Giant Eagle.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource