Christine Blank

Two consumer purchasing trends that will likely influence seafood sales in 2013 include the growth of private label foods and Americans cooking more at home.

According to a recent report from global market intelligence firm Mintel, nearly 30 percent of all food products launched between January and September 2012 were private label products, an increase of 4 percent compared to the same period for 2011. This trend dovetails with the move toward

The seafood traceability program that Roche Bros. launched this fall gives the 18-store retailer an important point of differentiation in the competitive New England grocery market. The Wellesley Hills, Mass., company partnered with Boston seafood processor Foley Fish on a fully traceable, local fish campaign. With Sea Trace, Roche shoppers can scan QR codes for selected species to see the fishing vessel and the location and method of

As U.K. diners embrace more ethnic foods, they are also seeking out seafood dishes during the holiday season and into the new year. “What we are seeing a lot of is U.K. diners embracing authentic global foods, many of which feature seafood and shellfish,” said Elizabeth Freier, associated editor for Technomic U.K.

To that end, many U.K. restaurants and pubs are featuring seafood on their menus this year, instead of or in addition to

Tommy Bahama is the latest major U.S. retailer to feature seafood at restaurants in its stores. The company’s new flagship store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, which opens this week, includes a 6,700-square-foot seafood-inspired eatery, Tommy Bahama Restaurant & Bar.

Several other clothing and home goods chains also sport restaurants, and many of their menus focus on seafood. Nordstrom operates 109 restaurants and 117 specialty coffee bars

AquaBounty, the company behind genetically modified salmon, will likely receive approval for the fish after a favorable environmental assessment from the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA).

The FDA said on 21 December that the AquAdvantage fish “will not have any significant impacts on the quality of the human environment of the United States.” Importantly, the FDA also found that the genetically modified (GM) salmon is unlikely to harm

Editor's note: SeafoodSource will not be publishing on 24 or 25 December, in observance of Christmas.

 ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and profit from fresh seafood sales. Many U.S. retailers are doing just that with special seafood promotions during the last two weeks of the year

“It’s our biggest two retail weeks of the year. Even our smaller retailers in the mountains do huge promotions and huge volumes of fish,” said Harry Mahlers,

Despite increasing overseas demand, Louisiana blue crab supply has declined over the past two years, suppliers say.

“We are putting out a tremendous amount of effort for a little bit of crabs this season,” said Gary Bauer, president of processor Pontchartrain Blue Crab. Local blue crab supply from Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne are down about 40 percent this season, so Pontchartrain Blue Crab has had to source elsewhere.

“Historically, I

Foodservice sales in convenience stores continue to rise, and some of those dollars are going to seafood meals.

Convenience store foodservice is an USD 11 billion industry and the second largest retail host foodservice category behind supermarkets, according to a recent report from foodservice consulting firm Technomic.

“Convenience stores have shifted their focus to provide a wider variety of fresh, high-quality food offerings to help gain a

Seafood is being featured much more significantly in U.K. restaurants, and experts expect that trend to continue in 2013.

Over the last year, sushi, sashimi and nigiri entrees rose 13.9 percent, while shellfish dish entrees increased 7.5 percent, according to foodservice consulting firm Technomic’s MenuMonitor database. Sushi chains like YO! Sushi and Asian noodle chains such as Wegamama continue to grow in popularity and expand throughout the

Louisiana shrimp processors are having difficulty keeping up with the incredible landings of brown shrimp in certain estuaries over the past two weeks.

Thanks to a recent cold front that sent the shrimp inland — and the after-effects of Hurricane Isaac — shrimpers are experiencing record catches. “Hurricane Isaac pushed shrimp into the marshes and estuaries, where they fed and grew. A surprisingly stiff October cold front pushed them out