What About the Supply of Seafood? 



As seafood processors strive to 

 develop new seafood products, one 

 question comes to mind: Is there 

 enough seafood to meet the 

 growing demands? 



The answer is not immediately 

 clear. 



Many biologists think the ocean 

 has reached its capacity to produce 

 wild edible fish and shellfish. In the 

 peak years of 1 987 and 1 988, 

 fishermen harvested about 1 00 

 million metric tons of edible seafood 

 worldwide. 



But the demand for seafood is still 

 climbing in the United States (15.4 

 pounds per capita consumption) and 

 worldwide. Population growth alone 

 ensures that the demand will increase, 

 says Jim Daniels of Tyson Foods. 



"We estimate that an additional 

 600 million pounds of salmon alone wi 

 be needed in the United States by 

 2010," he says. 



What are the options? 



Daniels says that aquaculture will 

 likely play a major role in seafood 



supply in the future. Already, many 

 of the shrimp, salmon and catfish 

 are raised using aquaculture 

 techniques. 



Aquaculture often produces 

 a better product, more consistent 

 supplies and more uniform fish 

 or shellfish. In the same way that 

 farmers and researchers developed 

 and honed animal husbandry, 

 scientists and watermen are 

 working to do the same for fish 

 and shellfish. □ 



Adding the Value to Value-Added 



As consumers choose the items 

 that fill their grocery carts, what 

 factors play into their decisions to 

 choose value-added products? 



Ed Rowel I, director of seafood 

 sales for East Coast Brokerage Inc., 

 and Ken Swartzel, head of N.C. 

 State University Department of Food 

 Science, say there are several 

 ingredients in the value-added 

 recipe. 



Both stressed that processors 

 must have a quality product that 

 tastes good every time a consumer 

 buys it. It only takes one bad 

 experience with a product to turn 

 consumers away, Swartzel says. 

 Consistent quality — the knowledge 

 and assurance that every time a 

 customer opens a package of deviled 

 crabs they will taste the same — 

 builds consumer confidence and 

 brand loyalty. 



Hand in hand with quality is 

 product safety, a factor that Swartzel 

 says most consumers take for 

 granted. Because state and federal 

 governments have enacted laws and 

 regulations to protect consumers from 

 food safety hazards, the general 

 public tends to forget that these 



problems exist. But processors can't be so 

 lax; they must diligently assure the safety 

 of their products. 



A value-added product must also be 

 convenient. 



'The most successful products are 

 user-friendly," Swartzel says. 



Rowell agrees. The product must be 

 either ready-to-cook without further 

 preparation or be among no more than 

 five ingredients in a simple recipe (with 

 no more than five cooking steps). The 

 recipe must be provided. 



Convenience also includes fast 

 preparation. When working singles and 

 busy parents are looking for fast, trouble- 

 free ways to feed their hunger, conve- 

 nience foods are often top choices at 

 mealtime. One friend aptly described her 

 definition of convenience as this: "I don't 

 want any product that takes longer to 

 cook than it does to eat." 



But convenience often translates to 

 higher prices. Swartzel and Rowell agree 

 that processors should strive to keep 

 prices reasonable. But it isn't always the 

 lowest priced product that attracts 

 consumers. 



Shoppers evaluate products based 

 on perceived value, Rowell says. 



"If a product meets the needs of 



consumers — fills families' bellies 

 and makes them happy — then 

 often they don't worry about price," 

 Rowell says. 



And consumers' latest criterion 

 for determining their food buys is 

 healthfulness. With the media 

 harping on lower fat content and 

 reduced calories, shoppers are 

 scrutinizing the nutritional informa- 

 tion on packages more closely 

 than ever. 



"Seafood has a leg up in this 

 area," Rowell says. "It's a low-fat 

 product from the start." 



But that doesn't mean shop- 

 pers should stop reading the labels 

 of value-added seafood products. 

 Dishes heavy with cream sauces 

 or cheese can be loaded with fat. 



Swartzel believes plenty of 

 opportunities exist for value-added 

 seafood products in the future. 

 He talks of pizza with scallops, 

 shrimp burgers and seafood 

 breakfast items. 



What will processors think 

 of next? 



Keep scanning the grocery 

 aisles and you'll find out. □ 



COASTWATCH 19 



