i READY i 



* TO \ 

 LjJSE J 



company was impressed with the un- 

 breaded, fresh-frozen seafoods offered 

 by a Charleston, S. C. firm (see story 

 on page 8). 



Charlie Watson, who buys local 

 seafoods for Harris-Teeter, says he's 

 handled mostly flounder and black 

 bass this spring. The fish come into 

 stores on Tuesday nights, and are sold 

 through Saturday. He knows of 

 nobody from North Carolina offering 

 quick-frozen fish. 



"We would consider buying frozen 

 fish," he says. "In our stores, frozen 

 sells as well as fresh. The decision 

 would be based on whether the price 

 and quality were right, and whether 

 we could count on the fish being 

 available." 



Watson says a good line of frozen 

 seafoods would help his stores keep fish 

 in the inventory year-round. 



"Fresh supplies are hard to come 

 by," he says, "especially in the sum- 

 mer. Frozen seafoods would be easier 

 to count on." 



Hank Walker says the stigma at- 

 tached to frozen seafoods is outdated. 

 He says that many seafood handlers 

 freeze fish, then let it thaw to sell as 

 "fresh." 



"The majority of shrimp is frozen in 

 five-pound blocks," Walker says. 

 "And there's a good bit of so-called 

 fresh product that has been frozen at 

 one time. You're foolish if you believe 

 all this fresh seafood has never been 

 frozen." 



Walker says Harris-Teeter won't sell 

 thawed seafood as fresh. 



SEAFOOD 



STRICTLY FRESH - 

 NEVER FROZEN 



G.J . Coles and Coy labels used in NCSU marketing study 



ready to consider radiation pasteuriza- 

 tion again," Tyre Lanier says. "With 

 it, we could extend the shelf life of 

 seafoods probably twenty or thirty 

 days. But if you had to use the word 

 'radiation' on that package, it would 

 probably kill the whole concept." 



So Lanier and others believe modern 

 freezing may yet prove the best way to 

 reach more people with better seafood. 

 The trick is to somehow make a frozen 

 fish just as appealing on the meat 

 counter as, say, a pork chop or 

 ribeye — a difficult job if that flounder 

 fillet is frozen stiff. 



"People generally prefer to buy 

 meat products unfrozen," Lanier says. 

 "One reason is that they can judge the 

 quality of unfrozen products better." 



As part of his Sea Grant research, 

 Lanier and his associate, Reino 



Piously Frozon For Yovr Protection* 

 Sato 10 Ktflrcete or Ftetrioorett 



Labels used in NCSU chilled-fish marketing study 



But if freezing turns buyers off, 

 other ways of preserving food fare no 

 better. Chemical preservatives are un- 

 popular with consumers these days, 

 and radiation techniques — if they're 

 approved — would likely meet 

 resistance as well. 



"After twenty years of research, the 

 Food and Drug Administration is 



Korhonen, conducted a market study 

 of the public's reaction to "previously 

 frozen" seafoods — fish quick-frozen 

 but defrosted before they were set out 

 for sale. The team packaged similar 

 cuts of trout and flounder and labeled 

 them as to whether they were 

 "previously frozen" or "strictly fresh." 

 Fillets were offered at $2.99 a pound in 



two stores near Raleigh and Chapel 

 Hill. The test lasted five weeks, and 

 new fish were stocked each week. 



The results were surprising: Overall, 

 the previously frozen fish sold as well 

 as or better than fresh fillets. In fact, 

 previously frozen flounder outsold 

 fresh flounder by about 50 percent, 

 although fresh trout did outsell thawed 

 trout by 25 percent. 



The results seem to indicate that the 

 public may not be as reluctant to buy 

 previously frozen seafoods as some 

 dealers and processors have imagined. 

 Lanier says the success of an 

 Australian firm, G.J. Coles and Coy, 

 has shown that the freeze/thaw 

 method can be very popular with con- 

 sumers, even in a country of beef- 

 eaters. Coles' sales were around $12 

 million last year. 



Lanier says that while the 

 freeze/thaw method can provide an 

 appealing product, there are some 

 limitations. A thawing fish can lose 

 moisture and spoil the looks of a 

 package — repackaging might be 

 necessary in some cases. And, after 

 they are defrosted, fish have a slightly 

 shorter shelf life than their fresh coun- 

 terparts. It would be easier, Lanier 

 says, to simply leave the fish frozen. 



"As a technologist, I don't really 

 recommend freezing fish and then 

 thawing it before you sell it," Lanier 

 says. "But as a realist, that's the best 

 way to handle fish and sell the most." 

 How can the seafood buyer tell a good 

 frozen product? Lanier advises con- 

 sumers to choose fish in a good, air- 

 tight package. And, he says, choose a 

 brand name you can trust. 



—Neil Caudle 



