Seafood Business articles from April 2008

Seafood Business archives from April 2008

Restaurant COOL a bad proposition.(Editor's Note, country-of-origin labeling )(Editorial)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Over the years I've seen my share of exemplary--as well as horrendous--retail product labels. I'm not just struck by the curious spellings of some species, but also the origins. Ever since country-of-origin labeling (COOL) became mandatory for...

FDA's mercury action level often misinterpreted.(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... In your March issue, several stories refer to a ten-fold safety factor in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's methylmercury action level for fish (SFB March '08, p. 8, NFI admonishes Times over mercury coverage). FDA's original action level...

Congress acts to improve seafood safety: bills would expand fed's authority to inspect seafood imports.(food safety)
April 1, 2008... U.S. Sens. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) introduced a bill on March 4 that would expand the government's ability to monitor the U.S. seafood supply. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Commercial Seafood Consumer...

Shells Seafood Restaurants.(Biz BRIEFS)
April 1, 2008... Shells Seafood Restaurants reported 2007 revenues of $41.5 million, down 13.3 percent from 2006. The company also posted a net loss of $4A million last year, compared to a net loss of $3 million the previous year. The struggling chain's...

Phillips Foods.(Phillips Foods Inc.'s culinary center)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Phillips Foods announced it is adding a culinary center for product development at its Baltimore headquarters. Construction for the 3,029-square-foot center began in early January. The center, which features a product-development kitchen, is...

Seafood Enterprises.(Biz BRIEFS)
April 1, 2008... Seafood Enterprises, d.b.a. Seafood America, announced it will invest $2.5 million in remodeling its 28,000-square-foot facility in Warminster, Pa. The renovations are scheduled for completion in six months and will double the facility's...

En papillote sweeps competition: Mar-Lees, Amazing Food Manufacturers win.(new products)
April 1, 2008... Mar-Lees Seafood and Amazing Food Manufacturers beat out a record 90-plus entries to win the annual New Products Competition at the International Boston Seafood Show in February. Mar-Lees' Nantucket Supreme Miso Crusted Salmon with Wheat...

Bonefish sixth fastest growing chain: Technomic: consumers weary of higher menu prices.(foodservice)
April 1, 2008... Bonefish Grill was the sixth fastest growing restaurant chain in 2007, according to foodservice consulting agency Technomic of Chicago. The Tampa, Fla., seafood chain's sales increased 24 percent in 2007 to $406 million. The company...

Forum panelists emphasize certification: buyers seek assurance that shrimp is safe, accurately labeled.(supply)(Discussion)
April 1, 2008... Certification is the key to minimizing the environmental and social consequences of shrimp farming and to preventing economic fraud within the shrimp trade, said panelists at the Annual Shrimp Forum at February's International Boston Seafood...

Restaurant Charlie.(Line ITEMS)
April 1, 2008... Charlie Trotter's new Las Vegas spot, Restaurant Charlie, opened. Located in the new Palazzo Resort on the Strip, the restaurant features a seafood-centric menu.

McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurants.(Line ITEMS)
April 1, 2008... McCormick & Schmick s Seafood Restaurants launched a consumer-education Web site, SeafoodHealth.com. The Portland, Ore., company also kicked off a campaign to encourage consumers to "Eat Seafood Twice a Week." Each week, the site will offer two...

Handy International.(crab cake certified in Guinness Word Records of London )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Guinness Word Records of London officially certified a world record crab cake created by Handy International of Salisbury, Md. The 235-pound crab cake was made during the 2006 Diamond State BBQ Championship in Dover, Del. Baked over a charcoal...

Trans-Ocean Products of Bellingham, Wash., named Acosta Fresh Foods as its 2007 Broker of the Year.(Line ITEMS)
April 1, 2008... Trans-Ocean Products of Bellingham, Wash., named Acosta Fresh Foods as its 2007 Broker of the Year. Acosta, based in Hackensack, N.J., was recognized for growing Trans-Ocean's market share of its Crab Classic surimi seafood product line by 42...

Consumer tampered with Gorton's fish fillets: authorities will not pursue legal action; Gorton's still undecided.(Gorton's Inc., product tampering )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The pills a Pennsylvania family reported finding in Gorton's fish fillets were placed in the product after they were purchased from a Giant Food Store. Gorton's of Gloucester, Mass., announced on its Web site on March 17 that the U.S. Food...

Benefits found in import alert: ACC reports decrease in antibiotic violations.(food safety)
April 1, 2008... When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration put five farmed-seafood species from China on import alert last June due to the continued presence of banned veterinary drugs, many consumers believed Chinese seafood was unsafe to eat. But that...

Wegmans debuts MSC shrimp: only one supplier has met retailer's farmed-shrimp policy.(marketing)
April 1, 2008... The first Marine Stewardship Council-certified Oregon pink shrimp product hit the market in early March at Wegmans, a 70-store East Coast supermarket chain based in Rochester, N.Y. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The product is frozen cooked...

Paying the price of overfishing.(OFF THE SHELF)
April 1, 2008... Environmental journalist Charles Clover discusses if the worlds consumption of fish can continue at its current pace, and what will happen if it does, in "The End of the Line: How Overfishing is Changing the World and What We Eat." Clover...

Joe's owner sues Landry's: company stumbles in fourth quarter of 2006.(foodservice)
April 1, 2008... A New Canaan, Conn., private equity firm has filed a lawsuit against Landry's Restaurants, claiming it was coerced into overpaying for Joe's Crab Shack. JCS Holdings, formed by J.H. Whitney Capital Partners, acquired 120 of the casual seafood...

True World fined for mislabeling: frozen pangasius fillets marketed as sole.(True World Foods Chicago LLC.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... True World Foods Chicago LLC last month was fined $60,000 for its role in distributing mislabeled frozen fish fillets in violation of the Lacey Act. The federal law prohibits the receipt, acquisition or purchase of fish that was taken,...

Fish processors going extinct.(One Man's Opinion)
April 1, 2008... Sustainability is a fact of life these days in the fish business. Environmental NGOs (non-governmental organizations) have successfully seized upon the issue and put federal fisheries managers under the gun to restore fish stocks as quickly as...

Spread the word: seafood is good for you.(Point of View)
April 1, 2008... Almost anything that concerns ocean fisheries today has been so politicized and distorted by huge globs of money from well meaning foundations and organizations concerned with the ocean environment that the voice of the fisherman, who depends...

WTO rulings again favor Thai, Indian shrimp farmers: U.S. shrimp imports rebound in January to 107.6 million pounds after falling 5.7 percent last year.(Market Report)
April 1, 2008... Members of a WorldTrade Organization panel in March ruled that the U.S. practice of collecting cash deposits in the form of bonds from Thai and Indian shrimp exporters subject to tariffs violates international trade law. U.S. Customs and Border...

Bluefin increasingly scarce: struggling species finally catches some breaks.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With its name recently splashed across the New York Times because of its relatively high mercury content, the World Wildlife Fund calling on retailers for boycotts and landings falling to record lows in the past...

Alaska salmon catch expected to drop: council considers closing California's salmon fishery completely.(Market Report)
April 1, 2008... Alaska's salmon catch is projected to fall to 137.4 million fish this year, which would be down from 212.6 million fish in 2007, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game reported early last month. An expected pink harvest of 66.4 million...

Domestic catfish production remains down: catfish, pangasius imports climb 13 percent in 2007.(Market Report)
April 1, 2008... Domestic catfish farmers seemingly have the cards stacked against them. Production is lagging, yet imports are soaring. And nobody wants to talk about the weather. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Alabama catfish farmers in February were given...

U.S. blue crab harvest nears record low: Chesapeake Bay region searching for answers.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... To say 2007 was a bad year for domestic blue crab fisheries would be understating the obvious. Last year's haul in Maryland was the second lowest on record, just 21.8 million pounds for the April-to-December season. The all-time low was...

Catfish sales outpaced by overall finfish sales: weekly per-store catfish sales unchanged from 2006 to 2007.(Retail Report)
April 1, 2008... Seafood department catfish sales are flat, averaging $203 per week per store during the 52 weeks ending Dec. 29, 2007, unchanged from the same period in 2006. Conversely, weekly finfish sales were up 9.3 percent through Sept. 29, 2007, to...

The fine print: retailers adjust to country-of-origin labeling, while restaurants fear they're next.(Top Story)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Three years ago this month, U.S. retailers were required by law to label all seafood products with their country of origin and method of production (whether wild or farmed). Country-of-origin labeling legislation,...

Breading/battering techniques: health consciousness triggers switch to more natural ingredients.(Processing & Services)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With the trend toward better health, consumers are increasingly inspecting the ingredient lists and nutritional facts on seafood products. This health focus has led to change in the breading and battering of seafood,...

Canned tuna: canned sales flat, growth projected for value-added tuna products.
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Even though canned tuna sales were flat last year, there are signs of growth in the category, particularly in value-added products. New shelf-stable products, particularly flavored tuna packaged in cups and pouches,...

Perception is everything: food recalls can be a nightmare if handled incorrectly.(Trend Watch)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A food recall can devastate a seafood company, especially if there is a rush to judgment by the media. If recalling a product from the marketplace becomes a high profile news event, it can seriously impact a...

Size matters: seafood's variety sets it apart, but how much is too much?(Case Study)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Shoppers have a wide variety of seafood options at the Stew Leonard's store in Danbury, Conn. A 40-foot fresh bar stacked on ice and 16-foot freezer hold about 50 to 60 species totaling more than 100 SKUs. ...

Catching on: native Bostonian inspired by New England's seasonal delights.(Chris Parsons )
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You might say that Chris Parsons has made seafood a lifetime study. The chef and owner of two Catch restaurants went on his first Cape Cod fly-fishing expedition at the age of 1, harnessed in a backpack on his...

Manila clams: interest in these tiny bivalves slowly migrates from West to East Coast.(Product Spotlight)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Manila clam, native to Asia, originally hitched a ride to the United States with shipments of oyster seed from Japan in the 1920s. "In the 1940s we started to notice a clam that was different than the native...

Sunday in review.(IBSS/SPA 2008 in Review)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Baader installed equipment during pre-show set-up. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Boston Mayor Tom Menino walked the floor and met with exhibitors. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] New this year was a fully...

Monday in review.(IBSS/SPA 2008 in Review)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The international pavilions command a large presence at the seafood show. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Students in a seafood processing program at the University of Alaska got a primer on the show and marketing at...

Tuesday in review.(IBSS/SPA 2008 in Review)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Seafood samples were meticulously prepared at Ocean Rim Japan in the Japanese pavilion, which made its debut at this year's show. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fishery Products tempted visitors with samples at its...

IBSS floor shots.(trade show of seafood industry)(Photograph)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The South was well represented. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An exhibitor and buyer discussion. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Executives at Southstream Seafoods of Warwick, R.I., were ready to discuss Frostmark...

SPA floor shots.(food equipment event)(Photograph)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Attendees used a bird's-eye view of the show floor to scout SPA booths to visit. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Multi-Ice 1060 system was introduced by NEI. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Buyers looked on while...

National Fisheries Institute.(People in the News)
April 1, 2008... Gavin Gibbons is director of media relations at the National Fisheries Institute. A former senior producer for Fox News Channel, Gibbons' NFI responsibilities include setting up interviews with association staff and the media and helping...

F.W. Bryce.(People in the News)
April 1, 2008... F.W. Bryce appointed Joanne McKinnon to the new position of national retail sales manager. McKinnon, who has extensive sales experience in the seafood industry, will be responsible for the expansion of all national retail sales accounts. In...

International Foodservice Distributors Association.(elections of officers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The IFDA elected officers and directors to its board and re-elected a number of existing directors. John Martin, CEO of Martin Brothers Distributing Co., was elected chairman; Malcolm Sullivan, CEO of Pate Dawson Co., was elected vice chairman;...

Trans-Ocean Products.(Trans-Ocean Products Inc.'s promotion of David Green and Larry Mulvey)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Trans-Ocean Products promoted David Green to VP of operations and Larry Mulvey to VP of business development. Previously, Mulvey served as national business development manager and Green as operations manager. The company also promoted Allen...

Shetland Smokehouse.(People in the News)
April 1, 2008... Terry Curran joined Shetland Smokehouse as sales and marketing director. Curran previously worked as sales manager with Framgord and sales director with Gourmet's Choice. In his new role, Curran will expand the brand's accessibility to hotels,...

Technomic.(People in the News)
April 1, 2008... David Henkes was promoted to VP of Technomic in Chicago. Henkes has worked for the company since 1996, serving as executive director of the Adult Beverage Insights Group as well as directing other proprietary and multi-client engagements. His...

Sagittarius Brands.(People in the News)
April 1, 2008... Nick Shepherd was named chairman, CEO and president of Sagittarius Brands. Shepherd worked for 12 years at Blockbuster, most recently as COO. At the beginning of his career, Shepherd worked as operation and brand development manager for...

Ocean Stewards Institute.(People in the News)
April 1, 2008... The Ocean Stewards Institute elected its first board of directors: Brian O'Hanlon, president of Snapperfarm; Neil Sims, president of Kona Blue Water Farms; Patricia Parisi, communications manager of King's Seafood Co.; Chris Beattie, product...

Shining Ocean.(Shining Ocean Inc.'s promotion of Robert Bleu )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Shining Ocean promoted Robert Bleu to president. Bleu has been with the company for 15 years and was previously executive VP. He succeeds Michael Faris, who was president of Shining Ocean for three years. Randy Orr, who has been with the...

Seafood Choices Alliance.(People in the News)
April 1, 2008... The Seafood Choices Alliance named its 2008 Seafood Champions during the International Boston Seafood Show: The Association du Grand Littoral Atlantique partnered with Bay of Boscay fishermen in France to incorporate devices into its fishery to...

In memoriam.(Obituary)
April 1, 2008... Ralph Rayburn, extension program leader of the Texas Sea Grant College, died Jan. 31 at the age of 60. Rayburn joined Texas Sea Grant in 1978 as the marine agent for Aransas and Pan Patricio Counties, and also worked as executive director of...

Fish glow.(Meyda Lighting's Fused Glass Trout Wall )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Fused Glass Trout Wall Sconce from Meyda Lighting is ideal for illuminating seafood displays. The sconce is handcrafted with pink, amber and green art glass and accented with red and black eyes on olive green leaves. It is 29 inches wide,...

Auto packed.(PROCESSING EQUIPMENT)
April 1, 2008... The RA-200 Automatic Vacuum Packaging Machine from Roll stock is perfect for entry-level packaging applications. The machine features matched forming and sealing die tooling, one flying cross cut knife system, a vacuum pump with quick...

Heavy lifting.(Hyster Co.'s Yardmaster II)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Hyster Americas' Yardmaster II reach stackers are designed to fit demanding material handling jobs and work with load capacities up to 101,000 pounds. The Yardmaster II series provides strength for heavy-duty container stacking applications....

It's in the bag.(Swifty Bagger, packaging machinery)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Swifty Bagger from WeighPack is designed for pre-made stand-up bags. The bagger is a versatile resource for the food industry, easily packaging products. Equipped to handle pre-made zippered and non-zippered bag sizes from 3.5 to 8 inches...

Bread line.(PROCESSING EQUIPMENT)
April 1, 2008... The 5-Star Homestyle Breader from FMC Food Tech is a linear breading application system that offers food processors the same coating quality of a large drum breader without the risk of product damage. The product features full belt width...

Ozone protection.(PROCESSING EQUIPMENT)
April 1, 2008... Eco Badge Kit V.4 is the latest ozone detection kit from Vistanomics. Designed to measure ambient ozone concentration levels in humid environments, the product clips to workers' shirts or jackets leaving both hands free to work. It gives both...

Visual temperature.(Graph-at-a-Glance data loggers)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Graph-at-a-Glance data loggers from Dickson Data provide the convenience of real-time data and the ability to download data for further analysis. The data loggers are paperless chart recorders that provide a digital graph to enable food...

Seafood calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2008... APRIL April 19-20 American Culinary Federation Western Regional Conference Hilton Salt Lake City Center Salt Lake City (800) 624-9458 fax (904) 825-4758 www.acfchefs.org/contact/events/2008_ACF_events.htm ...

Junichiro Yoneoka.(One on One)(Company overview)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Japanese seafood heavyweights Maruha Group and Nichiro Corp. shook the seafood world in late 2006 when they announced plans to merge. The transaction was completed less than a year later, forming Maruha Nichiro...