Qingdao, China-based Meichu Foods has launched a new salmon snack, with the rollout providing further evidence of salmon’s staying power in the Chinese market.
Meichu has rolled out the Salmon Cheese Roll and is one of several firms in the country that has focused on premium seafood imports, selling its products under the Wo Ai Yu brand.
“[This is] a real innovation developed to meet Chinese consumers' needs and occasions,” Sigmund Bjorgo, head of the Norwegian Seafood Council’s office in China, said. “It is exciting to see innovations like this, and we will monitor the development closely.”
Bjorgo said his office estimates that 85 percent to 90 percent of the salmon sold in China is consumed raw, either in sashimi or sushi form.
“Products like the Meichu Salmon Cheese Roll have the potential to expand the market into new occasions, as it does not cannibalize the existing salmon market,” he said. “It is too early to estimate the volume effect of the innovation; however, we feel positively about this development.”
China has been a growing market for Norway in 2024, with Bjorgo predicting up to 10 percent growth in sales of Norwegian seafood in China this year.
Developments including a Nanchang to Oslo airline service, operated by Capital Airlines, that will bring e-commerce deliveries to Norway for Scandinavian customers and pick up Norwegian salmon for the return journey, have helped with the growth.
“Even though the Chinese economy is slower than pre-Covid-19, the consumption of Norwegian seafood has rebounded and is still growing at an impressive pace,” he said. “In 2023, Chinese Atlantic salmon consumption grew 43 percent and passed pre-Covid volumes. This year, we expect an additional 8 percent to 10 percent growth. China is now the eighth-largest market for Atlantic salmon globally and was the world’s fastest growing market in 2023.”
Nevertheless, weaker economic growth and consumer sentiment is forcing salmon exporters to cut prices, according to Fan Xubing, who runs Beijing-based seafood marketing consultancy firm Seabridge.
