Despite the doom and gloom surrounding the global economic crisis, Scottish mussel and oyster growers are cheery about Christmas sales this year.
The Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group on Tuesday said its 19 farmers expect both mussel and oyster sales to increase Christmas week again this year. Last year, its farmers watched their mussel sales double and their oyster sales almost three triple the week of Christmas.
Christmas time is the busiest time of year for Scotland’s mussel and oyster farmers.
“Sales of mussels and oysters have been growing year-on-year, and there is always a traditional peak demand in the week before Christmas. This peak occurs over a very short period of time, so it is a frenetic period of activity for our growers,” said Stephen Cameron, managing director of Scottish Shellfish.
“We are finding that consumers are becoming more adventurous in their tastes, with Scottish mussels and oysters making a superb and tasty alternative to more traditional Christmas fare such as smoked salmon and prawn cocktail,” added Cameron.
“They are also very healthy being low in calories and fat. They are excellent source of protein, vitamins and omega-3 oils that help reduce the risk of heart disease,” he noted. “People are also attracted by the fact that Scottish mussels are sustainably grown with virtually no environmental impact.”
