Seafood Business articles from January 2004

Seafood Business archives from January 2004

The power of protein.(Top Story)
January 1, 2004... Protein is in. Carbs are out. And seafood fits right into that trend. Popular diets like Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution and The South Beach Diet that advocate eating protein and avoiding carbohydrates are helping seafood sales. The...

Seafood omitted from two-year COOL delay.
January 1, 2004... On Sept. 30, mandatory country-of-origin labeling rules will take effect for many seafood products, while competing proteins beef, pork and poultry are exempted from the cost and complexity of the new rules. Analysts estimate the seafood...

Yum! has big plans for Long John Silver's nationwide.
January 1, 2004... Yum! Brands plans to more than double the number of Long John Silver's restaurants in the next few years. On Dec. 10, the Louisville, Ky., company unveiled to investors and analysts an aggressive growth strategy for the nation's largest...

SSA [Southern Shrimp Alliance] files antidumping petitions against six countries.
January 1, 2004... Six countries representing nearly three-quarters of total U.S. shrimp imports were named in separate antidumping petitions filed Dec. 31 with the U.S. government by the Southern Shrimp Alliance, which represents domestic shrimp fishermen and...

Red Lobster's same-restaurant sales decline.(Late News)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Red Lobster's string of 23 consecutive quarters of same-restaurant sales growth is over. The 680-unit usual seafood chain posted a 3.1 percent decline in sales in the second quarter of fiscal 2004, which ended Nov. 23. The chain's guest...

Pacific Seafood expands into the Texas market.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Pacific Seafood Group of Portland, Ore., acquired a portion of Seacliff Seafoods in late December, expanding its reach into the Texas market. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Based in Wilmington, Calif., Seacliff Seafoods operates...

Sen. Breaux, seafood-industry champion, to retire.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Sen. John Breaux, D-La., announced in mid-December that he will not seek a fourth term. When his third term expires in January 2005, it will mark the end of Breaux' 31 years in Congress, including 18 years in the Senate. Breaux said it was time...

Southern California strike hinders retail chains' seafood sales: retailers, workers can't agree on a new contract.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... A labor dispute has stifled seafood sales at nearly 800 Albertsons, Ralphs, Vons and Pavilions grocery stores in Southern California. On Oct. 11, about 70,000 supermarket workers walked off the job after the United Food and Commercial...

FDA and EPA finalizing new advisory on methylmercury: draft addresses consumption of canned tuna.
January 1, 2004... The Food and Drug Administration and Environ mental Protection Agency are finalizing a new consumer advisory aimed at protecting unborn and young children from damage to their developing nervous systems caused by unsafe levels of methylmercury....

Onset Computer Corp.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Onset Computer Corp., manufacturer of battery-powered data loggers, launched a redesigned Web site (www.onsetcomp.com) with drop-down menus that let visitors quickly locate products by measurement need, product line or environment and order...

Salmolux.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Salmolux, a value-added seafood processor in Federal Way, Wash., named Murray Brokerage Co. of Toledo, Ohio, its Broker of the Year for 2003.

Orient Overseas Container Line.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) won Best Main Line Operator at the fifth Lloyd's List Maritime Asia Awards ceremony, held in Shanghai on Dec. 4.

Aurora Foods.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Aurora Foods, producer and marketer of Mrs. Paul's and Van de Kamp's frozen seafood, entered an agreement for purchase by Crunch Equity Holding whereby Aurora will undergo financial restructuring and be combined with Pinnacle Foods

Mislabeled basa skirts tariffs: U.S. catfish industry asks customs to crack down.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Some foreign exporters are mislabeling frozen basa fillets from Vietnam so U.S. importers can circumvent tariffs on the fish, according to Louisiana and industry officials. In an Oct. 23 letter, an exporter asks an unidentified domestic...

Massachusetts town requires mercury-hazard posting: nearby Marblehead may follow lead.
January 1, 2004... Restaurants and retailers in Swampscott, Mass., will be required to post signs warning women of child-bearing age and children about mercury in fish. The town is awaiting federal and state action on mercury advisories before formally deciding...

Legal's cookbook informs and entertains.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... In February 1978, Roger Berkowitz--now CEO of Legal Sea Foods but then the restaurant's only fish buyer--arrived at the docks early one morning to stock up on fish. Berkowitz "knew a storm was brewing and wanted to avoid the high prices and...

Facts & figures.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... 7,900 Average number of employees working at Alaska's seafood-processing plants in 2001 7,400 Average number of employees in...

'04 restaurant sales to grow: National Restaurant Association predicts healthful eating to top trends.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The National Restaurant Association predicts restaurant sales will grow 4.4 percent in 2004, reaching a record $440.1 billion. Con-sumer demand for convenience and gains in disposable income, plus an improving economic environment, will drive...

New England suppliers commit to 100,000-pound seafood donation: Boston's food bank upgrades seafood handling and distribution.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Fifty-seven New England seafood companies will donate 100,000 pounds of seafood to the region's food banks through 2004. The seafood donation will be spread among four agencies: The Greater Boston Food Bank, The New Hampshire Food...

Oyster Bowl in the offing?(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The Louisiana Seafood Promotion Board expects national media coverage of an oyster-eating contest Jan. 4 before the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, pitting Louisiana State University against Oklahoma. Three players from each team will be paired with...

The end of a love affair.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Chef Jasper White has dropped a lawsuit charging that Red Lobster's "Share the Love" advertising campaign infringed upon White's trademarked slogan, "Food is Love." As an independent restaurateur and owner of three Summer Shack restaurants in...

Captain D's names top vendors.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... At its 2003 national convention in Las Vegas last month, Captain D's handed out Supplier Recognition Awards to select vendors that helped the restaurant chain set sales records in 2003. Two seafood companies were among the honored suppliers,...

Food & Wine, Jan. 2004.(Editorial)
January 1, 2004... Seafood is the main ingredient in four of "The world's 10 healthiest dishes," the cover story by Anya von Bremzen. Steamed Ginger Salmon from China combines ginger's digestive properties with omega-3 fatty acids. Salt-baked Sea Bass from Spain...

Coastal Living, Jan. 2004.(Book Review)
January 1, 2004... A seafood primer, "The skinny on flatfish," showcases the attributes of halibut, flounder and sole, extolled by writer John Shields as "some of the most versatile fish in the sea." He provides thumbnails for each fish that include biology,...

Buyers hopeful holiday demand will spill into new year: Northern New England's 40-day pink shrimp fishery kicks off this month.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Shrimp buyers will have three more opportunities in the next two months to move product left over from the holidays. A lot of shrimp will be consumed during the Chinese New Year on Jan. 22, Super Bowl XXXVIII on Feb. 1 and Valentine's Day on...

Atlantics are in short supply, raising prices: demand was strong during the holidays, pushed by shortages.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The Atlantic salmon market picked up unexpectedly around Thanksgiving and stayed active through mid-December, with retailers and restaurant operators filling their cases and menus with fresh fillets for the holidays. Whether demand extends into...

Whitefish supplies abundant for 2004: catch limits are increased from the Barents to the Bering seas.(Finfish)
January 1, 2004... The catch limits of many major whitefish fisheries were increased from 2003 to 2004. That's good news for frozen-whitefish buyers gearing up for Lent, which kicks off Feb. 25, Ash Wednesday. The 2004 Barents Sea cod quota, which is split...

Red snapper on the way: domestic Gulf fishery opens Feb. 1.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... If history repeats itself, the first part of this year's domestic Gulf of Mexico red snapper fishery, scheduled to open Feb. 1, will stretch well into the summer. Over the past three years, it has lasted into July or August and yielded an...

Domoic acid outbreak subsides off Oregon: Dungeness crab fishery is productive despite two-week setback.
January 1, 2004... The 2003-04 Dungeness crab fishery, which opened Dec. 1, didn't launch as smoothly as expected. A domoic acid outbreak in late November forced the Oregon Department of Agriculture to order processors to remove the viscera of crab harvested in...

Change brings benefits.(Editorial)
January 1, 2004... January is a month for change, usually spurred by New Years resolutions. Many people use the New Year to make a positive step in their lift, whether it be quitting smoking, spending more time with family or adopting more healthful eating...

Alaska is still in a rut.(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... To say that Alaska's salmon industry has "broken out of its rut" is a real stretch (SFB Oct. '03, page 1). Eight years ago I patented an invention to fillet and remove all pinbones from salmon, because the talk of the town was about inventing a...

With farmed seafood, perception is reality.(National Fisheries Industry Forum)
January 1, 2004... The National Fisheries Institute recently adopted a vision of a safe, sustainable seafood supply as consumers' protein of choice the world over. The sustainability aspect of that vision will require a new look at the sources from which...

Alaska's salmon industry still shrinking.(Column)
January 1, 2004... Dave Jones doesn't know what he'll do this coming salmon season. Last summer, he caught over a million pounds of salmon in Southeast Alaska with his 58-foot seiner, the Zealot. A million pounds is of lot offish (and a lot of a work), but...

When it comes to misnomers, buyer beware: dealers still play the seafood name game, but it's hard to fool buyers who know the score.
January 1, 2004... The seafood industry is full of opportunities for both unintentional and deliberate mislabeling, given the confusion surrounding the names and origins of certain fish species. The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on dealers who...

Young singles a market worth targeting: seafood retailers are overlooking a potentially profitable demographic.(Trend Watch)
January 1, 2004... Seafood marketers, and food marketers in general, are just beginning to recognize the nation's 18 million young singles as a demographic worth targeting at the retail level. In just a few years, young, single Americans will outnumber young,...

McGrath's upgrades menu but holds line on price: team effort with single vendor helps Northwest chain control quality and costs.
January 1, 2004... In many ways, a restaurateur's biggest challenge in selling seafood is buying it in the first place. Purchasing systems and standards are crucial, even more so with high-volume, multi-unit operations like McGrath's Fish House, with 15 units in...

Success with sushi is all in the details: but it's a worthwhile investment in terms of increased traffic and margins.
January 1, 2004... Fresh, fast, healthy, trendy--these are just a few of the reasons retailers cite for bringing a sushi section into supermarkets and specialty food stores. Sushi adds another dimension to a retailer's seafood offerings by combining fresh...

Rainbow trout: producers look to move trout sales beyond traditional Midwest markets.
January 1, 2004... Rainbow trout is not what you'd call a fashionable, trendy fish. It's more a classic mainstay whose appeal is tied to the romance of the great outdoors. Idaho's "Magic Valley" is the source of most of the trout sold in the U.S. market. In...

Seafood cakes: popularity of this value-added item has producers turning out a range of quality and price points.
January 1, 2004... When it comes to seafood cakes, crab is king. Consumers from coast to coast can find crabcakes in supermarkets' seafood service cases and frozen-food aisles and at an increasing number of restaurants, where they are served as an appetizer and...

Red Lobster.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Red Lobster named Kim A. Lopdrup executive vice president of marketing for the brand. Previously, he was executive vice president and chief operating officer for Burger King Corp.'s North American operations, based in Miami, and a board member...

NESPA.(New England Seafood Producers Association.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The New England Seafood Producers Association elected executive officers for 2004. Charlie DiPesa, president of EJ. O'Hara and Sons, Boston, is president; Ted Heidenreich, president of Packaging Products Corp., New Bedford, is vice president;...

Henningsen Cold Storage.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Henningsen Cold Storage named Bob Lawyer Pacific Northwest regional manager of its cold-storage warehouse network. Lawyer will focus on sales and business development for the company's Oregon, Washington and Idaho operations. At the Richland,...

Center for Food Safety.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Joseph A. Levitt retired last month as director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). He was succeeded by Dr, Robert E. Brackett, who played a leadership role in CFSAN's counter-terrorism...

OOCL.(Orient Overseas Container Line.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... The Port of Long Beach, Calif., presented its highest honor, the Honorary Port Pilot Award, to C. C. Tung, chairman and chief executive of Hong Kong-based Orient Overseas Container Line, for his leadership and achievements in international...

Maine Lobster Promotion Council.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Kristen Millar joined the Maine Lobster Promotion Council as executive director in November, filling the position vacated by Sue Barber's resignation. Previously, Millar was director of sales and marketing for Hancock Gourmet Lobster Co....

Follett Corp.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Follett, a manufacturer of ice-related equipment for the foodservice industry, appointed Michael A. Rice business development manager, responsible for identifying new business opportunities.

In memoriam.(Obituary)
January 1, 2004... J. Richard "Dick" Pace died Nov. 6, 2003, at age 70. In 1974, Pace founded Universal Seafoods, now UniSea, and served as its president and CEO until retiring in 1998. He was a prominent member and chairman of the Pacific Seafood Processors...

Australian rainbows.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Fresh Tasmanian Ocean trout is now available in the United States through Lee Fish USA. The fish, farmed by The Petuna Group in Tasmania, Australia, is the species Oncor-hynchus mykiss, or rainbow/steelhead trout. A richer pink than salmon, but...

A foursome of flavor.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... RioMar red tilapia from Enaca International comes in four flavor profiles: Pesto Italiano, Fiesta Lemon-Pepper and Carnival Cajun marinated fillets, plus Natural Fillet. Each hand-trimmed, deep-skinned fillet is individually vac-packed and...

Cod, naturally.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... New from American Pride Seafoods is a line of natural cod products: Crisp and Crunchy Breaded Natural Cod Strips (1.5 ounces) and Nuggets (1 ounce); 2-to 3-ounce Cheddar Crumb Mini Natural Cod Loins and 3-ounce Batter N' Brew Natural Cod...

Latin taste temptations.(Goose Point Oysters.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Goose Point Oysters introduces ready-to-eat seafood cocktail and salsa ceviche. Salsa Ceviche de Cameron del Pacifico (salsa ceviche with shrimp) features two sizes of cooked Pacific shrimp in a tomato sauce seasoned with onions, fire-roasted...

Breaded bivalves.(Shellfish)(Advertisement)
January 1, 2004... Tampa Maid's Dipt'n Dusted[R] oysters, made with fresh, domestic eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) from Gulf and Atlantic waters, eliminate the effort and waste of breading oysters in-house. Harvested at their prime, the oysters are...

"A dab o' crab".(Fishery Products International.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Fishery Products International offers operators an alternative to high-priced snow-cab with Luxury brand Jonah, rock and Atlantic crab from Atlantic Queen Seafoods. Available in a wide range of cost-effective product forms, from meat to...

Chilean squid.(Shellfish.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... Belocean expanded its Chilean calamari line with a 1-pound retail bag of fresh-frozen, all-natural calamari steaks. The attractive, resealable bag is UPC coded and printed with easy cooking instructions. Belocean calamari is the species...

B.C. delicacy.(Roe.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... BC Gold brand spawn on kelp is the first branded seafood product from British Columbia's First Nations, represented by the Spawn on Kelp Operators Association. Commonly known by its Japanese name, komochi konbu, this specialty seafood product...

Affordable luxury.(Roe.)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2004... In response to international measures to protect depleted stocks of Caspian Sea sturgeon, the source of prized black caviar, Noble Foods offers an eco-friendly, vegetarian alternative. Vegetable-based Viva Caviar, which the company says is like...

COI Foodservice esponds to Walker interview.(Letters to the editor)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2004... For the record, COI resigned service to the Captain D's account for business reasons only (see "One on One," SFB Dec. '03, page 54). We wish the entire Captain D's company nothing but the best now and for the future. COI has serviced every...

Calendar 2004.(Calendar)
January 1, 2004... JANUARY Jan. 18-20 Winter Fancy Food Show Moscone Center San Francisco Contact National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (212) 482-6440; fax (212) 482-6459 www.fancyfoodshows.com Jan. 31-Feb. 3 * Mediterranean...

Bill Bayne: co-owner, Neighborhood Ventures.(Interview)
January 1, 2004... Bill Bayne is in the awkward position of running a seafood-restaurant company that competes with the successful Rockfish Seafood Grill, operated by his former partner. Bayne and his wife, Lovett, founded Neighborhood Ventures in Dallas in...