Tromsø, Norway, market research firm Nofima Marked this week released the results a survey it conducted in which 32 French and Swedish chefs were given fresh Norwegian farmed cod and asked to prepare and serve the fish as they wished. The chefs were then asked to evaluate the dishes on freshness, odor, appearance, color, taste, texture and overall impression.
“This study shows that there is every reason to be satisfied with the quality of farmed cod,” said Jens Østli, Nofima senior scientist. On a scale of one to seven, where one was extremely poor and seven was extremely good, the farmed cod scored an average of six in France and five in Sweden. The chefs thought it was a very good product.”
Chefs who had not previously tried farmed cod also said they were impressed.
The study also showed that restaurants in the two countries have major differences in how they market seafood to guests.
In France, the word “farmed” — regardless of the product — is hard to find on menus. But in Sweden the public seems to be more aware of overfishing issues and demand product information enabling them to avoid threatened species.
