Processing News

Seafood Expo North America is cancelled

Seafood Expo North America, one of the leading events for the industry, has been cancelled because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

THE event, due to be held in Boston, Massachusetts in July, had already been postponed from March this year.

The next Seafood Expo in the US, which combines with Seafood Processing North America, is due to take place over 1315 March 2022 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Diversified Communications, which organises the event, said that it had reluctantly determined that it would be impossible to stage the expo this summer given the health concerns.

Liz Plizga, Group Vice President, Diversified Communications, said: “We were determined to host an in-person event for our seafood community and have worked

“Buyers... will be ready to meet in person in 2022”

diligently over the past several months seeking a way to safely make the July 2021 edition happen. However, current COVID restrictions limiting the capacity of indoor venues and the state of the reopening plan for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as related to convention facilities, have recently made it evident that we cannot move forward with planning an event like ours.”

The company said that conversations with customers, including high-volume buyers in retail and foodservice, have confirmed they will be ready to meet in-person in 2022. Diversified said: “Buyers have expressed the importance and unique value of meeting face to face in maintaining current relationships and finding new products and suppliers at the event.”

Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global, the world’s largest seafood event, also produced by Diversified Communications, is still scheduled to take place this year in Barcelona, Spain, on 7-9 September, 2021.

Loch Duart launches Label Rouge packs

INDEPENDENT Sco� sh salmon farmer Loch Duart has launched a new pack to showcase its “Label Rouge” superior quality salmon.

Label Rouge is a pres� gious food standard label accredited by the French Na� onal Commission for Labels and Cer� fi ca� on, the French public body responsible for quality and origin marks rela� ng to food products. Loch Duart has been Label Rouge accredited since 2014, but the new branding has only been made possible through the company’s investment in its new processing plant in Dingwall.

Mark Warrington, Managing Director of Loch Duart, said: “The specially selected, Label Rouge quality Loch Duart fi llets are available in our new branded packs, giving restaurants, hotels, bars and home cooks the chance to work with the very highest graded salmon. With our new processing and packaging plant we can provide these individually prepared packs as the UK hospitality sector has a clearer roadmap towards fully reopening.

He added: “We’re proud to be part of a sector whose produce has been given this most pres� gious level of endorsement for nearly 30 years. Loch Duart is looking forward to working with all our wonderful customers to ensure they have the best looking and tas� ng salmon in the world.”

Sco� sh salmon was the fi rst non-French food product to

ed packs, giving restaurants, ho- part of a sector whose produce be awarded the Label Rouge be awarded the Label Rouge quality mark.

 See also Processing and

Traceability, page 58

Above: Loch Duart’s LabelRouge fillet pack

Associated Seafoods reports improved profi ts for 2020

SCOTTISH smoked fi sh and shellfi sh busines Associated Seafoods Limited (ASL) has reported increased profi ts for 2020 despite “uncertainty” aff ec� ng the market. ASL, the parent company of Lossie Seafoods and Moray Seafoods, posted an opera� ng profi t of £1.8m (2019: £0.8m) on slightly reduced turnover of £31.3m (2019: £32.3m).

The company said: “Despite 2020 being a year of uncertainty as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the group has performed strongly.”

ASL a� ributed its improved profi t performance to investment in cost reduc� on machinery, and movements in fi sh prices.

The group’s net assets were £4.1m at the end of the fi nancial year (2019: £2.9m). The company’s salmon business reported opera� ng profi ts of £1.43m (2019: £0.79m) on turnover of £27.6m (2019: £28m). For shellfi sh, opera� ng profi t was £0.55m (2019: £0.18m) on turnover of £3.75m (2019: £4.3m). The company said it expects to further grow its opera� ng capacity through 2021, with further sales growth and investment in more machinery aimed at cu� ng costs. Its report for 2020 notes that uncertainty over a poten� al no-deal Brexit has receded following the end of the 2020 calendar year.

Mowi plans upgrade for Blar Mhor

LEADING salmon producer Mowi is investing in an upgrade for its Blar Mhor processing facility in Fort William. The project will take the plant up to a capacity of more than 80,000 tonnes.

Mowi said that building work is expected to start this year, for completion in the second half of 2022. Meanwhile, Scott Nolan, Processing Development Manager for Mowi Scotland, has been promoted to the position of Processing Director to manage the project.

The new-look Blar Mhor will feature robotic technology for handling and grading salmon and production will continue throughout the upgrade project.  See more in Processing and Traceability, page 58.

Canadian food giant to acquire Young’s parent

YOUNG’S, Britain’s largest seafood business, is about to get a Canadian owner. The Eight Fi� y group, which includes Grimsby-based Young’s and pork producer Karro, has agreed to become part of Sofi na Foods on the other side of the Atlan� c. The sale fi gure has not been disclosed.

Young’s and Karro were brought together under one umbrella two years ago when the parent company of Young’s Seafood was sold to the interna� onal private equity fi rm CapVest Partners.

Young’s, which employs more than 2,000 people in Grimsby and Scotland, is also a major buyer of Sco� sh farmed salmon and has a produc� on centre near Edinburgh making ready seafood meals for Waitrose.

Sofi na Foods is one of Canada’s largest food producers and has a 25-year history of acquisi� ons, growth and success.

Sofi na Foods is one of the country’s leading manufacturers of primary and further processed protein products for both retail and foodservice customers.

Its brands are staples in Canadian households and include Cuddy; Lilydale; Janes; Mastro; San Daniele; Fletcher’s, Vienna and Zamzam.

Sofi na Foods currently operates 21 diff erent sites and employs approximately 5,000 people.

Eight Fi� y is a leading supplier of both branded and own-label seafood and pork. The pork division is one of the largest processors and suppliers of products across the UK and Ireland. The seafood division is the largest provider of chilled and frozen products across the UK, including the Young’s brand, and is a major player in frozen seafood across Germany and France.

The Eight Fi� y business will remain under the leadership of Di Walker and will complement Sofi na Food’s exis� ng leading North American pla� orm. As Europe’s mul� -protein specialist, Eight Fi� y will con� nue to provide sustainable, high-quality food products while focussing on growth.

Jason Rodrigues, Partner at CapVest, said: “We’ve created a leading European mul� -protein business through a combina� on of strategic investment in our core asset base and complementary acquisi� ons of fantas� c na� onal champions.

“Eight Fi� y delivers best-in-class products to our customers and consumers and we are all very proud of what Di Walker and her team have achieved over the last four years. We’re confi dent that Eight Fi� y will con� nue to fl ourish under Sofi na Food’s ownership.”

Di Walker, CEO of Eight Fi� y, said: “We began this journey as a UK-only pork supplier doing less than £500 million in sales and a� er several years of transforma� onal organic and acquisi� ve progress are now the European mul� -protein specialist with over £2 billion in sales.

This transac� on and the interest in Eight Fi� y is a great refl ec� on on the quality of the business and testament to the work that CapVest and our en� re management team have completed. We’re very excited to join Sofi na Foods to deliver on their ambi� ous future growth plans.”

Michael La� fi , Founder and Execu� ve Chairman of Sofi na Foods, said: “As a leading Canadian mul� -protein specialist, this acquisi� on allows Sofi na Foods to con� nue on our path of ambi� ous expansion.

Based in Markham, Ontario, Sofi na Foods is one of Canada’s largest food producers and with a broad por� olio of fi sh, meat and poultry products, it has created a solid global founda� on for con� nued growth.

He added: “With a history of excellence in food produc� on and processing spanning over 25 years, the strong brands of Eight Fi� y Food Group align perfectly with our prominent brands and our shared future vision.”