True North Seafood
Cooke-owned True North Seafood has been working to capitalize on a pandemic surge down the frozen retail aisle, launching more SKUs (stock-keeping units) into the category “to leverage this shift in consumer behavior,” it told SeafoodSource.
The company, in April of this year, announced the U.S. launch of its farmed Atlantic salmon portions and salmon burgers with several retailers, including Harris Teeter, Hannaford, and other regional grocery stores. Salmon that is “sustainably farmed in the cold, clear waters of the Gulf of Maine” and raised without the use of antibiotics features in the premium frozen offerings, True North Vice President of Public Relations Joel Richardson told SeafoodSource earlier this year.
In Canada, the four-pack Atlantic salmon burgers have had “tremendous retail success,” Richardson said.
“Packed with 23 grams of protein and a simple ingredient deck, this recipe has been a crowd-pleaser and we are excited to have our offerings available this summer for U.S. consumers,” he said in April 2021.
True North’s wild-caught, deep-sea red crab has also been a boon product for the business in 2020 and 2021, with its elegant deck of simple ingredients.
“Largely, we have focused on simple ingredient decks overall,” True North said. “For instance, our deep-sea red crab retail packs offer a product that is additive- and preservative-free. We see that consumers are actively seeking products that have either ‘free-from’ claims and/or simple ingredient decks.”
The wild-caught red crab offering, which was showcased in March 2021 during Seafood Expo North America Reconnect, is comprised of 10.6 ounces of wild-caught deep-sea red crab sourced from Uruguay and frozen at sea, with no additives.
“We wanted to create a real, wild-caught crab product that was accessible to consumers and easy to prepare. By offering a frozen product, we can deliver a product that is 100 percent wild-caught crab meat. No additives, no preservatives, which we know is top of mind for consumers,” Richardson said of the product in March. “Our ability of freezing at sea locks in the freshness that we can then pass on to the consumer for a delicious experience every time.”
The company said it has recently made a concerted effort to embrace protein-forward packaging for its portfolio.
“We also place emphasis on the protein content of our products, as we know consumers are seeking this information to be readily seen front-of-pack,” it said.
With 2022 quickly approaching, True North said it’s planning “to continue growing our True North Seafood branded portfolio and the species within that portfolio, further expanding the True North Seafood shelf set.”
“We also plan to continue to leverage flavor insights to drive new product innovation in pursuit of giving consumers access to restaurant flavor profiles that they can easily prepare at home,” the firm added.
Photo courtesy of True North Seafood
