Fish Farmer October 2021

Comment

BY DR MARTIN JAFFA

Meal deals The ‘value added’ packaged salmon meal was an idea that came and went

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’M in the process of moving office and the move offers the opportunity for a clear-out of files, books and other miscellanea accumulated over 30 years. One of the collec�ons includes several hundred examples of packaging that appeared in retail from the early 1990s onwards. As well as simple labels, there are hundreds of card outers from the packaging of added-value salmon products. They represent a memory of the past advances of the salmon farming industry in the UK. One of the reasons salmon was selected as a poten�al candidate for farming was its then premium market image. Ini�ally, its scarcity meant salmon could command a premium price, but by the end of the 1980s increased farmed produc�on meant salmon became much more widely available. The downside was that this availability undermined its market image as well as the price. Salmon farming had evolved from an industry of high margins and low volumes to one of low margins and (rela�vely) high volumes. The price of farmed salmon fell. The ques�on was what to do. The salmon farming industry blamed Norway for cheap imports and embarked on a dumping case against

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Norway at the European Commission. Meanwhile, salmon processors began to realise that low-cost salmon offered the chance to diversify the market and reach a greater range of consumers. Their approach was to emulate the market development of the broiler chickens. At the �me, salmon farmers focused on selling whole salmon, but broiler producers recognised that chicken breasts, legs, wings etc were more a�rac�ve to consumers than whole chicken for most meal choices. The same approach was taken with salmon as consumers were more likely to buy a couple of fillets for one meal than using a whole fish, even a small one. However, as the 1990s progressed and while the industry was s�ll pursuing its case against Norway at the EU, the low cost of salmon meant that it was the ideal base for produc�on of a whole range of added-value products, including meal choices. I have provided images of some of the products I found of most interest but at the �me these were just the �p of the iceberg. For example, the Italian range found in most supermarkets expanded from spaghe� bolognaise to cannelloni to lasagne to vegetable lasagne to eventually include salmon lasagne. This acted as an introduc�on to salmon in a dish that was already familiar to consumers. More complex dishes included those giving a variety of ethnic op�ons. However, the fate of many of these dishes was sealed when salmon farming companies began to be listed on the stock exchange. Financial analysts were not interested in consumers and what they wanted to eat. Their interest was focused on the share price and

Left: Ini�ally the focus was on selling whole salmon when it was seen as a premium product Above: Various salmon products

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12/10/2021 15:00:08