The Japan International Seafood & Technology Expo 2018 is being held from 22 to 24 August at Tokyo International Exhibition Center, with 1,400 booths and 35,000 visitors expected, and the Scottish contingent is back in force.
This year, some of the biggest companies in the Scottish seafood sector — such as Dawnfresh and Marine Harvest— have joined, making the 2018 delegation the largest yet in terms of the proportion of Scotland’s catch represented.
Other exhibitors include: Hebridean Smokehouse, Denholm Seafoods, Lunar Fishing Company, Scottish Salmon Company, Scottish Fishermen’s Organisation, The Crab Company Scotland, and Northbay Pelagic. The Scottish participants are supported by the “Japan export support programme,” a joint program of Seafood Scotland and Scottish Development International. The contingent will present a wide range of species and techniques including smoked and fresh salmon, haddock, sea trout, mackerel, herring, crab, and langoustine.
“Japan is a strategically important market for the seafood industry. Its famously strong fish-eating culture and a market that demands increasing levels of quality, traceability and sustainability, makes Japan an ideal match for Scottish seafood,” said Natalie Bell, Trade Marketing Manager for Europe, Middle East and Asia at Seafood Scotland.
Both Scottish and Japanese chefs will be working with the delegation to prepare their products in Western culinary styles, as well as to demonstrate how Scottish product can be used for more traditional Japanese cuisine. In addition to attending the Expo, the Scottish contingent is hosting a ‘Taste of Scotland’ Seafood reception at the British Embassy in Tokyo, to form new ties with buyers and chefs that might include Scottish seafood on their menus.
Scottish seafood exports rose by 23 percent last year, to GBP 944 million (USD 1.2 billion; EUR 1 billion).
