Thursday, 3:00 p.m. CEST — Only one hour until the 20th edition of the European Seafood Exposition is over. Thanks for following SeafoodSource’s coverage of the three-day event.
Thursday, 12:30 p.m. CEST — Seen a familiar penguin on the show floor? It’s Private, one of the penguins from the Dreamworks’ film Madagascar. Lithuana-based company Viciunai Group has contracted with Dreamworks to use the upcoming release of “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” to promote its new line of seafood deli slices, marketed to children.
“There is nothing on the market like this,” said Rob Schreur, sales and marketing director of the company’s seafood deli slices. “Nowadays if kids eat seafood it’s fish sticks, that’s all that’s out there. There are kid’s products for meat and dairy, but not for seafood. These are much, much healthier.”
Thursday, 10:50 a.m. CEST — I stopped by the Lithuania Pavilion to find out how the first-time exhibitors are making out. The National Association of Aquaculture and Fish Products Producers had nine out of its 11 members exhibit at the show for the first time this year, thanks to an EU funding project. Association Manager Orinta Bucaite said that the show was very successful, but she’s not sure if Lithuania will return to Brussels next year. However, the association is looking into attending the International Boston Seafood Show and the Asia Seafood Exposition.
Thursday, 10:30 a.m. CEST — For those who couldn’t attend the European Seafood Exposition, there was no shortage of international media coverage. More than 200 media outlets from 15-plus countries attended the show. Some of the top media outlets in Europe were here, including VTM (Dutch TV), RTL (French TV), Radio 2 (Dutch radio), RTBF Radio (French radio), VRT (Flemmish TV), De Morgan (Belgian TV), NOS (Amsterdam TV) and numerous Belgian correspondents for international news outlets including ARTE.
Thursday, 8:30 a.m. CEST — While preparing for Day 3 of the European Seafood Exposition, I came across some U.S. news:
• Iowa-based supermarket chain Hy-Vee has launched a new sustainability initiative — a new website, Hy-Vee 360, is devoted to sustainability and healthy living and provides customers with a behind-the-scenes look at Hy-Vee’s “green” efforts, including a partnership with FishWise to help the retailer improve its sustainable seafood sourcing policy. “Our partnership with FishWise is just one more reason customers can be confident that the products they buy at Hy-Vee are not only good for them, but good for the planet as well,” said Mike Smith, assistant VP for real estate and sustainability at Hy-Vee.
• Boston-based Maristella’s Fine Foods has reached an agreement with several outlets of Whole Foods, Market Basket and Kings to sell its Authentic Sicillian, All Natural Arborio Rice Seafood Arancini’s. The line, a finalist in this year’s Seafood Excellence Awards at the International Boston Seafood Show, is available in five varieties — Wild Caught Blue Crab with Gorgonzola Cheese and Applewood Smoked Bacon, Wild Alaskan Smoked Salmon with White Win and Capers, Wild Caught Scallops with Applewood Smoked Bacon, Wild Caught North Atlantic Lobster with Sherry Cream Sauce, and Wild Caught Shrimp with All Natural Pesto.
Thursday, 8:00 a.m. CEST — Yesterday was a busy day, and a few news items slipped through the cracks. Here’s a couple of Marine Stewardship Council announcements from Day 2:
• Sea bass fishermen of the Association for Professional Rod-and-Line Fishermen in the Netherlands celebrated the start of their fishing season by presenting the first MSC-labeled sea bass catch to MSC CEO Rupert Howes.
• The Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group’s (SPSG) West of Scotland herring fishery received its MSC certificate from EU Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki, making it the region’s third herring fishery to earn the distinction. Now 98 percent of SPSG’s annual catch of nearly 200,000 metric tons is MSC certified. Watch Damanaki present the certificate to SPSG Chairman John Goodlad:
