Seafood innovations trending at Expo West
Foods from the sea include fresh, frozen, canned, value-added, processed and packaged seafood, as well as foods containing marine-grown plants such as algae and kelp. The protein in our products is complete, high-quality, and a source of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids.
According to The Power of Seafood 2023 by FMI-The Food Industry Association, seafood sector sales in 2022 declined 3.8% compared to 2021, totaling $16.2 billion. This is because inflation has pushed up the price of fresh and frozen seafood. The decline in sales has reversed the upward trend that marked record sales during the pandemic, but although seafood sales were still higher in 2022 than in 2019, some Driven by the desire of shoppers to eat healthier and incorporate more environmentally friendly options into their diets. report. 53% of shoppers indicate they consume seafood often (more than once a week) or occasionally (once a month to once a week), down from 59% in 2021.
That’s a far cry from the fact that nearly a quarter of global consumers get their protein from seafood, said the chief executive of Scout in Vancouver, British Columbia, speaking at a panel at Expo West. founder and co-founder Adam Bent said.
One of the challenges with seafood in the United States is that most consumers want to eat only fresh. Other countries, on the other hand, embrace canned seafood, as do seafood snacks such as jerky, kelp chips, and seaweed puffs. In the United States, this is likely due to negative childhood memories of casseroles made from frozen fish sticks or canned tuna.
Bent says there was a time when cannery was a staple food for coastal fishing communities in North America. Local fishermen bring in seasonal catches to preserve them with salt, smoke and time. This is not much different from curing meat or aging cheese. This inspired chef and Scout co-founder Charlotte Langley to create a line of canned fish, a category that began gaining momentum in the U.S. She used her Expo West introduced the line.
“Our new Scout Seafood Snacks feature toppers packaged separately from responsibly sourced yellowfin tuna that immediately deliver flavor, intensity, texture and color,” Bent said. “This is another innovation in the canned seafood category. We are giving a wider audience a gateway to sustainable seafood.”
Each pack contains canned yellowfin tuna in olive oil, a crunchy topper mix-in, and a spoke. This kit contains up to 33 grams of protein. The variety is Chili Crisp, which contains a spicy, savory and slightly sweet mixture of chillies and aromatics. Chilean jalapenos, a nod to the variety of Mexican peppers and flavors that Scout’s yellowfin tuna is sourced from. Zaatar blended with spices from the Middle East.
Zoe Croft, sales director and panelist for Atlantic Sea Farms in Portland, Maine, said:
Panelists believe a message about the sustainability of the ocean as a food system will resonate with today’s consumers. It also promotes space innovation.
For example, Atlantic Sea Farms is introducing new sustainable methods of growing regenerated kelp. It is often referred to as the “superhero of the sea” because it removes carbon from the atmosphere with 20 times the efficiency of his terrestrial crops and has no maintenance costs.
The company’s flagship product is pre-cut frozen kombu that is simply thawed before eating. We also have ready-to-use frozen pureed kelp cubes for smoothies, soups, sauces and dressings. Recently, the company added basil pesto and ginger sesame sea veggie burgers.
Tidal Foods in San Francisco offers 12 Tides Organic Kelp Snacks. Puff Chips are infused with kelp, cassava, tapioca flour, coconut milk, nutritional yeast and spices.
To get younger consumers more interested in seafood, New York’s Sea Monsters Inc. has created seaweed and sorghum puff snacks. The puffs come in cheese pizza, sour cream and onion, spicy Korean barbecue, and sweet chili flavors, with each flavor package associated with a different sea animal.
“We are on a mission to save the world by helping them eat seaweed and learn about life under the sea,” said co-founder and panelist John Lee. I try to reach out and educate them about the fact that real animals live in the ocean.”
Steve’s Family Foods, Van Nuys, California is trying to do the same with their Alaska Salmon Nuggets. Bread crumb coated frozen nuggets come in Lemon Butter, Original, Smoked and Spicy Buffalo flavors.
Seafood jerky is another format gaining momentum in the United States. His UFisheries in Minneapolis debuted their Alaskan salmon jerky at Expo West. Varieties include Cranberry Maple Syrup, Jamaican Jerk and Wildflower Honey.
Pescavore Seafood in Santa Cruz, California turns whole-cut yellowfin tuna into jerky snacks. The types are Caribbean Jerk, Island Teriyaki, and Smokey Poke.
San Diego-based startup Triton Algae Innovations launched Asian-style frozen dumplings stuffed with cabbage, onions, and pork alternatives at Expo West. The filling is infused with Hardtii algae, the secret ingredient that makes vegan pork taste like the real thing.
Xun Wang, President and CEO, said: “Consumers want to see and experience new and innovative ingredients and related products rather than the more replicated and undifferentiated meat analogue products that have come to dominate that market. We believe consumer demand for alternatives to meat and seafood remains strong, and it is the duty of companies to fill that market with the delicious, healthy and sustainable products consumers crave.”