Vinh Hoan and Halieutis bested 35 competitors to be awarded top honors at the 11th annual Seafood Prix d’Elite new products competition at the European Seafood Exposition on 3 May.
Vinh Hoan Corp. of Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam, won the grand prize for best new retail product with its Provocake. An appetizer or light meal, the product features a fish cake made of pangasius, shrimp and mushrooms encircled by asparagus and tied with a green onion top. The product received high marks from the judges for its quality of ingredients and originality of presentation.
Tambaqui Ribs from Lorient, France-based company Halieutis won the grand prize for the best new foodservice product. A new species to the European market, tambaqui is a cousin to the Amazonian piranha and is now farmed in Brazil. The structure of the fish allows for a rib portion similar to that of pork ribs. Halieutis tops these portions with a barbeque marinade.
In addition to the two grand prizes, five special awards were presented.
Prawn Antipasti from Heiploeg Group in Belgium received the convenience award. The ready-to-eat marinated shrimp line is available in garlic, apple-curry and tomato-chili flavors and is packed in a transparent tray in a modified atmosphere without preservatives and is an easy alternative for an appetizer or snack.
The award for health and nutrition was given to Agustson a/s and Marz Seafood a/s of Denmark for its Hot Smoked Tilapia. Made from deep-skinned, boneless tilapia fillets and smoked over beachwood for a smoky taste, the product is packaged in fixed-weight packages and can be served hot or cold. It offers a meal of quality protein while remaining low in fat and calories.
Laspang Souchong Tea Smoked Salmon from Macrae Edinburg, a division of Young’s Seafood, captured the award for retail packaging. The Scottish salmon smoked over a blend of oak and laspang souchong tea has a delicate, smoky flavor. The product is presented in a black pack under the Heston from Waitrose line and features a product display window with extensive product details on the recipe, sustainability, health, nutrition values and package recycling options.
Gilco Bvda of Belgium was presented with the award for originality for its Fruit and Fish. The product combines herring with two different fruit marinades, tropical fruits and apple with blueberry. Designed to appeal to a young demographic, the product is presented in a colorful pack with a fork included.
A new line of smoked salmon products from Loch Duart of Scotland took home the prize for seafood product line. The line features three smoked salmon products made with Loch Duart’s Scottish salmon and includes Hot Smoked Salmon with Honey and Thyme, Oak Smoked Salmon and Oak Roasted Flaky Salmon.
The awards were presented during a reception at Hall 2 at the Brussels Exhibition Center.
The 37 Seafood Prix d’Elite finalists in this year’s competition represented 14 countries. The winners and the finalists will remain on display at a special Seafood Prix d’Elite stand, Patio-4609, at the European Seafood Exposition and Seafood Processing Europe, which runs through 5 May.
The judges for the competition were Juergen Pauly, category manager for fresh fish at Globus in Germany; Aitor Goñi Lizarralde, seafood sales manager for Grupo Eroski in Spain; Ron Koks, seafood purchasing manager for Sligro Food Group in the Netherlands; Jacques Lecardinal, seafood buyer for the Auchan Group in France; and Peter Joyner, food development director for Elior in the United Kingdom. Joyner served as chairman of judges. The Seafood Prix d’Elite finalists were judged on taste and overall eating experience, packaging, marketability, convenience, nutritional value and originality. The judges’ scores were verified by the accounting firm Ernst & Young.
