Christine Blank, a veteran freelance writer and editor, covers all aspects of the seafood industry, from fishing to processing to selling and serving the final product. When she is not writing for SeafoodSource, Christine gets to taste scrumptious seafood dishes at U.S. restaurants for her food and travel blog, Flavorful Excursions (www.flavorfulexcursions.net). Christine loves to eat seafood of any kind, but lobster, crab and crawfish are among her favorites. In addition to SeafoodSource.com and SeaFood Business, Christine’s articles have been published in hundreds of leading magazines and newspapers, such as The New York Times, USA Today and Associated Press.
Author Archive
Grocery price inflation in the U.K. hit its highest level – 5.2 percent – since January 2024 in July, according to new data from research firm Worldpanel by Numerator.
Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) data added that the elevated inflation is not going anywhere, warning in its most recent Viewpoint report that retail food inflation is set to peak in late summer and is significantly outpacing general inflation.
"This rise is
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Rosemont, Illinois, U.S.A.-based US Foods is reportedly considering acquiring Performance Food Group (PFG).
If the rumored merger, reported by Bloomberg on 11 July, were to go through, it would create the largest broadline distributor in the U.S.
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.A.-based PFG is the second-largest foodservice distributor in the country and generated USD 60 billion (EUR 51 billion) in sales in 2024, according to Technomic data cited by
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Modesto, California, U.S.A.-based Save Mart has managed to defy national trends and increase its seafood sales.
The company, which operates 194 stores – 140 Save Mart and Lucky grocery stores along with 54 FoodMaxx value-format stores – told SeafoodSource a combination of emphasizing local, fresh seafood and a price discounting campaign have managed to keep its sales steady year over year.
“Some categories, particularly those
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The U.S. grocery industry and seafood suppliers continued to struggle with economic challenges, as Walmart is reportedly cutting hundreds of store-support corporate employees and Kroger consolidates its Texas operations.
U.S. grocery prices rose in June, and around 80 percent of retailers and grocery suppliers believe that trade policies and tariffs will continue to impact pricing and disrupt supply chains, according to FMI - The Food
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American consumers are increasingly buying their groceries online, and many took advantage of the recent Amazon Prime Day event to stock up on seafood and other groceries.
U.S. online grocery sales by value spiked 27.6 percent to USD 9.8 billion (EUR 8.5 billion) in June compared to the same month in 2024, according to a recent Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopper Survey.
“June’s strong results signal that this sustained surge in
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Sales by volume of both fresh and frozen seafood at U.S. retail stores fell in June, while shelf-stable seafood realized both value and volume sales growth.
Sales of fresh seafood by volume declined 1.5 percent in June compared to the same month a year prior, according to Circana data analyzed by Lakeland, Florida, U.S.A.-based 210 Analytics, while sales by value in the category grew slightly by 0.4 percent to USD 677 million (EUR 579 million).
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New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.-based shrimp supplier Prime Shrimp is marketing new shrimp burgers that are “free from sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP)” to U.S. retailers and foodservice companies.
STPP is a preservative, emulsifier, and moisture retention sodium agent used in seafood processing that has drawn controversy in the past for its use in dressing up low-grade food products to make them appear higher quality than they actually
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Japanese seafood company Maruha Nichiro, which plans to rebrand as Umios in March 2026, has announced plans to open a restaurant that will feature cultivated seafood.
The Tokyo-based company is partnering with shopping center company Lumine Inc. to open a yet-to-be named seafood restaurant in the NEWoMan Takanawa shopping mall in central Tokyo. The expansive urban development, which opens this September and includes saunas, retail, and coffee
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McKinleyville, California, U.S.A.-based canned and packaged seafood firm Wild Planet Foods is one of several U.S. seafood suppliers that is likely to see a sales boost during Amazon Prime Day 2025, which runs from 8 to 11 July.
Wild Planet Foods, which sells pole and line-caught tuna and other seafood, is offering 20 percent off its 12-packs of Skipjack Wild Tuna and Wild Sardines on the digital retail platform during the four-day deal.
"We like
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The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, an omnibus piece of U.S. legislation that President Donald Trump signed into law on 4 July, includes tax policies that will strengthen the U.S. foodservice industry, according to the National Restaurant Association (NRA).
“The pro-growth tax policy in this bill will make it easier to start a restaurant and to continue to improve and modernize as the business grows. It lays the groundwork for long-term
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