Saving Seafood

SENA 2024: Salmon, Shrimp Products Win Seafood Excellence Awards in Boston

March 12, 2024 — The Seafood Excellence Awards took place Sunday afternoon at Seafood Expo North America (SENA), honoring two companies for their Best New Foodservice Product and Best New Retail Product.

Three seafood-industry experts judged the products on uniqueness, appropriateness to the market, taste profile, packaging, market potential, convenience, nutritional value and originality.  Out of 70 entries, the judges narrowed the competition down to 11 finalists. Four entries made up the Best New Foodservice category, while the Best New Retail Product category had seven entries. But of course, there can be only one winner. And on Sunday the judges presented Social Kitchens Professional/ SK Food Brands’ Premium Shrimp Sliders with the award for the Best New Foodservice Product, and Highland Farms’ Salmon Salami with the award for Best New Retail Product.

Read the full article at Seafoodnews.com

Seafood Task Force cements significant Asian expansion before SENA appearance

March 9, 2023 — The Seafood Task Force (STF), a U.S.-based nonprofit trade association representing major retailers, brands, foodservice companies, and supply chain partners, has added 17 new members from Asia in a bid to promote sustainable and responsible seafood practices in the region.

These additions, inked during a recent STF summit in Bangkok, Thailand, included companies from India, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Devi Sea Foods, India’s top shrimp exporter, was among them.

This move marks a significant expansion of STF’s geographical footprint, growing its existing base of 30 seafood industry members by over 50 percent, according to an STF statement.

“We’re delighted to welcome major global suppliers to the STF community as we expand our reach in Asia Pacific. They will add invaluable country-specific insights as well as extensive industry experience to the task force as we continue to make progress on worker rights, conversion-free farmed shrimp, and sustainable sourcing across both shrimp and tuna supply chains,” STF Executive Director Martin Thurley said. “By leveraging supply chain partnerships and making decisions together, we are driving real impact. We help retailers, seafood and pet food brands, supply chain partners, and NGOs worldwide work toward ensuring confidence to trade. That goal becomes increasingly achievable as our membership grows.”

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

SENA keynote economist Megan Greene breaks down inflation, Russia concerns

March 22, 2022 — Megan Greene, a senior fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business at the Harvard Kennedy School, delivered the keynote address at Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America on 13 March, 2022.

Greene said with COVID-19, supply chain disruptions, and the economic ramifications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – and subsequent sanctions issued by numerous countries – uncertainty has been the rule.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

Boston lifts COVID-19 vaccine mandate, SENA follows suit

February 24, 2022 — The city of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. announced it has lifted a mandate requiring proof of vaccination for certain indoor spaces, which includes the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the host location of the 2022 Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America.

The city first announced a vaccine requirement for indoor spaces in December, as part of the city’s “B Together” initiative. The mandate resulted in a proof of vaccination requirement for the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and a vaccine requirement for attending the expo.

Read the full story at SeafoodSource

 

NOAA’s Paul Doremus: Seafood aligns well with Biden’s sustainability goals

March 22, 2021 — Senior officials from NOAA Fisheries speaking at the Seafood Expo North America Reconnect event on Thursday, 18 March, said U.S. President Joe Biden’s emphasis on action on climate change could align well with support for the domestic seafood industry.

The new administration has not even been in office for two month and still have several political appointments waiting to be confirmed. However, NOAA Fisheries Acting Assistant Administrator Paul Doremus told the audience numerous synergies exist between the fishing industry and climate interests in Biden’s “building back better” resiliency plan.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Economist Lindsey Piegza to break down COVID-19 impacts in SENA Reconnect keynote

March 15, 2021 — Stifel Financial Corp. Senior Economist Lindsey Piegza thinks USD 10 trillion (EUR 8.4 trillion) might just be enough stimulus to get the global economy through the COVID-19 pandemic.

That’s the figure Piezga estimates the collective government response has been globally to the crisis. And while the total amount spent thus far is staggering, the United States and many other Western governments are still in recession and there are many problems money alone cannot solve, Piezga told SeafoodSource.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

No longer enemies: Industry embracing partnerships with NGOs

April 15, 2019 — There was a time when many in the seafood industry openly disliked the Monterey Bay Aquarium. And not long ago, the aquarium’s Seafood Watch program didn’t think very highly of much commercially-produced seafood, such as the equivalent of the industry’s bread and butter – farmed salmon. As recently as 2013, Seafood Watch advised its millions of sustainability-conscious adherents to avoid farmed salmon altogether.

But a month ago, at the 2019 Seafood Expo North America event, Jennifer Kemmerly, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s director of global fisheries and aquaculture, stood on stage at a special assembly hosted by the Chilean Salmon Marketing Council and declared that previous era of combativeness to be over.

“There is no ‘us-versus-them’ mentality anymore,” she said. “There’s no time or room for that. The only way to get the job done is to work together.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

MASSACHUSETTS: Spaniards visit Gloucester to talk fishing

March 21, 2019 — Antonio Basanta Fernandez and Mercedes Rodriguez Moreda had completed their tasks at the Seafood Expo North America in Boston and were scheduled to first fly to New York and Ottawa for meetings before returning home to the Spanish region of Galicia.

But before they boarded the flight to New York on Tuesday night, the two executives of the Department of the Sea within the regional government of Galicia had an important stop:

They wanted to come to Gloucester and talk fishing.

“We know that Gloucester is one of the most important ports in northeast America,” Basanta Fernandez said Tuesday during an afternoon meeting at Gloucester City Hall with Fisheries Commission Chairman Mark Ring and commission director Al Cottone. “We think we share a lot of interests and there are a lot of similarities between our regions.”

Read the full story at The Gloucester Daily Times

East Coast Seafood, St. James Smokehouse win 2019 Seafood Excellence Awards

March 18, 2019 — East Coast Seafood won the 2019 “Best New Foodservice” Seafood Excellence Award for its Lobster Macaroni & Cheese Bites, and St. James Smokehouse was awarded the “Best New Retail” prize for its Saint Pure Salmon at Seafood Expo North America on Sunday, 17 March.

Topsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based East Coast Seafood is the world’s largest distributor of live and frozen North American lobster. Its Lobster Macaroni & Cheese Bites, designed for the foodservice industry, are a creamy mixture of macaroni and a blend of parmesan, asiago, and mozzarella cheeses, within a crunchy golden-brown coating. The appetizers are produced without preservatives or artificial flavors and are designed to be deep-fried at the restaurant level.

“It was a complete surprise, we’re extremely excited about it and proud,” East Coast Seafood Vice President of Marketing Garrett Digney told SeafoodSource. “It’s been a great team effort for the item, and we’re extremely happy.”

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Seafood Expo North America 2019 gets underway in Boston

March 18, 2019 — It was a weekend of hard work for global seafood product suppliers and processing vendors, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in anticipation of this year’s Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America event, taking place from 17 to 19 March.

Considered to be the largest seafood event in North America, the expo saw 1,329 exhibitors from 49 countries in attendance at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for opening day on Sunday, 17 March.

More than 256,690 net square feet of exhibit space is being occupied at SENA19, event organizer Diversified Communications said, with new exhibitor participation from the country of Latvia and an array of companies including: Intershell International Corp, Plymouth Rock Oyster Growers, John Nagle Co, Pangea Shellfish Company, Cape Seafoods Inc., North Atlantic Pacific Seafood, Red’s Best, Aquacultural Research Corp., Independent Brazil, Dutch Seafood Company/Foppen/Klaas Puul, Niceland Seafood, and Top Claw Lobster & Seafood Limited.

Read the full story at Seafood Source