FEATURE
Prospect of functional feed for fish and shrimp
A
s our trade visit to the Taiwanese market coincided with the Taiwan International Seafood and Fisheries Show, Norwich International Company were fortunate enough to attend the 2016 Taiwan Aquaculture Industry Trends Seminar. This was only the second time the show has been held, hosting around 200 exhibitors and 500 booths. The International Seafood and Fisheries Show is also the only event of its kind in Taiwan, showcasing the best of what the entire field of aquaculture has to offer. Despite being relatively small compared to the fisheries exhibitions of the Chinese mainland, the show was large enough to display all of the latest developments related to the field of aquaculture. Moreover, the amount of time given for interaction and networking between attendants was exceptional. Given the large capacity for aquaculture feed in the Taiwanese market, the number of feed exhibitors could certainly have been higher; however there was no shortage of highlights. For example, thanks to the excellent salesmanship and impressive display booth of the Grobest shrimp farming representatives, we remained standing at their booth for quite some time. The frozen shrimp below is a commercial shrimp produced by Grobest feed farmers, whom produce about 6,000 kilograms of shrimp per year. Through the use of Facebook, Grobest are able to sell their frozen shrimp products directly into the hands of consumers. Despite Grobest being a supplier with little involvement in the feed market, it actively promotes standards of health and nutrition in its products, through its customers, to consumers. Within agricultural industries, the use of online sales models to connect directly with consumers is becoming increasingly popular, achieving impressive results. What more deeply impressed me, though, was Grobest’s virtuous devotion to ideas of health and nutrition as a complementary goal to their promotion of fish and shrimp products. It was due to this impression that I remained at their booth, learning of the aims and requirements of their additional companies, feed mills, farmers and fast delivery to consumers.
by Norwich International Company Tao Qingyan Translated from the original Chinese language by Alex Whitebrook
Whilst at the Taiwan International Seafood and Fisheries Show, we also saw the exclusive cell survival and freezing (CAS) technology Yongan biotechnology. Using this technology, the taste and quality of seafood obtained through on-site fishing is preserved during the thawing process. The most immediate affects of this technology are the lack of seepage from the flesh, and the remaining integrity of the fish eyes during the thawing process.
Healthy Aquaculture
Many consumers believe that the safety of fished products will be higher than that of aquacultural products, but this is a big misunderstanding. Due to the widespread pollution of natural waters, increasing numbers of fish caught for consumption are being affected by heavy metals, pesticides and so on. Modern farming is often more effective in providing healthy consumer products due to enhanced management of the environment, seed, and aquaculture processes. However, due to the poor management of individual practitioners, some concern for food safety has arisen and international trust of artificial aquaculture has consequentially been reduced. With the development of the Internet economy, people want real contact with the farmers themselves, to see the breeding of animals and breeding environment, to hear about the breeding developments, and to better see whether farmers and their families consume their own products. The rise of this style of marketing is beneficial to our industry. Through the use of Facebook, Grobest shrimp farmers are able to communicate with consumers about the entire shrimp farming process, adding value to the consumer experience by adding an intriguing human component. While those farmers pursuing high-quality aquatic feed input and management of inputs are rewarded through consumer recognition and response to prices. If combined with the latest refrigeration
26 | January 2017 - International Aquafeed