A leading Chinese seafood firm with an Argentine subsidiary is planning a big push on sales of South Atlantic butterfish in China.
Shanghai Fishery Group Co. (SFGC), which was showing its products at a Shanghai international food and beverage show last week, said it wants to import stromateus brasiliensis, or xue hua chang (literally snowflake fish), into China to target demand for health food.
“It’s high in protein and particularly suitable for old people and children,” a statement released by the company said.
The imported butterfish is “wild…natural… and green” according to the statement from SFGC – using terms in Mandarin that have become buzz words for food marketing in China. The butterfish meat is very “tender” and “plentiful in oil,” according to the company statement.
SFGC has made much of its strategy to “go global” and buy fishing companies and resources around the world. In its latest statement, it says acquiring more overseas seafood resources is part of its “social responsibility” of supplying China’s people with plentiful seafood.
Earlier this year, the company heavily promoted a “spotted pomfret” fish from its Argentine subsidiary to boost its sales in the all-important Chinese New Year market. The state-run firm has sought to increase sales of fish and “red shrimp” from Altamare SA, a shrimp and fish catcher and processor in Puerto Madryn, Argentina, which SFGC bought in 2014 through its subsidiary, Shanghai Jinyou Deep Sea Fisheries Co.
SFGC is also be looking for a rise in sales of its staple ‘LongMen’ and ‘Shui Jin Yang’ brands of canned and packaged seafood.
