Summer 2017
Well, summer has arrived and with it, the quarterly edition of our Newsletter. In this issue you will find a range of industry wide articles on seafood trends along with product information and a glimpse at a slice of Japanese culture. Here are a few of the topics you can read about:
Our product spotlight focuses on a review of our family of Maneki® Value products - growing strong!
The Industry News segment reveals that the Monterey Bay "Seafood Watch" List has upgraded farmed salmon to a "Good Alternative"
Shrimp activity is up in volume this year as compared to last year's totals
Going to Japan this summer? Consider trekking through nature - long trails Japan style
The Salmon Update includes a look at salmon prices in summer decline and an update on the developmental growth of land-based salmon farming
And lastly, our blog explains the purpose and benefits of our customer relationship managers and their interaction with our clients
We hope you enjoy this summertime issue and as always, thank you for your continued support.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Maneki® Value Family of Products
By now, many of you know our Maneki® Value brand of quality seafood. Debuting in October of 2015, the brand was developed specifically to introduce a line of low cost/high value shrimp products. Our goal was to combine great quality with competitive pricing to meet your specs and price point.
We began by offering Maneki® Value Nobashi Ebi and Sushi Ebi BAP certified products in limited but popular sizes and larger pack styles. In January of 2017, we added Maneki® Value Tempura Shrimp in size 21/25, 150 pieces per case bulk packed and BAP certified. And later this summer, we will present the newest member of this growing family, Maneki® Value Panko Breaded Shrimp, in size 16/20, packed in bulk with 125 pieces per case and BAP certified.
Let's take a quick look at each of these products:
Give these Maneki® Value products a try! The convenient pack styles deliver efficiency while reducing costs. And you'll get lower pricing with no compromise on quality. Please contact your DNI Group representative today for information, pricing and samples
RECIPE IDEA: "ROLL" Out Your Summertime Specials
Maneki® Value Shrimp - Three Ways!!
Your customers will like this delicious summertime combination platter highlighting Maneki® Value products in 3 ways. Serve from the bar menu, as an appetizer or a lunch special.
First, for a sweet, crunchy sushi roll, use Maneki® Value Tempura Shrimp as the centerpiece and add rice, avocado then flavor with wasabi mayonnaise.
Next, a light and flavorful spring roll featuring Maneki® Value Sushi Ebi with rice noodles, lettuce and mint wrapped in rice paper. Serve with a tangy sweet chili dipping sauce.
And lastly, finish with a beautiful sushi hand roll, "temaki", of Maneki® Value Panko Breaded Shrimp - a combination of shrimp coated in crispy Panko bread crumbs with rice, avocado and cucumber.
INDUSTRY NEWS: Monterey Bay upgrades farmed salmon on Seafood Watch list
Farmed salmon, certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), is now considered a "Good Alternative."
The Monterey Bay Aquarium announced that farmed salmon certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has advanced in its sustainable seafood ranking to a "Good Alternative."
The updated recommendation recognizes that ASC-certified farmed salmon aligns with many of the Seafood Watch's guiding principles for sustainable seafood production and moves ASC-certified farmed salmon onto the program's recommended list of seafood for consumers to buy.
This updated recommendation will significantly increase the availability of sustainable farmed salmon in retail stores and restaurants, making it much easier for consumers to make an informed decision over the seafood they purchase.
At present, nearly a quarter of all farmed salmon produced globally is ASC certified and members of the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) are the main sources of ASC-certified farmed salmon, worldwide producing over 350,000 metric tons of the product in 2016. The GSI is a collective of leading global salmon farming companies that have made it their target to be 100 percent ASC certified by 2020.
"Producers that have met the ASC Salmon Standard have been comprehensively and independently audited to ensure they meet the highest assurance levels for responsible production and have demonstrated they care for their workers and communities," said Chris Ninnes, CEO of ASC. "When consumers purchase ASC-certified seafood, they can feel confident they have selected fish from farms that are certified to the highest social and environmental standard."
All farms certified to the ASC Salmon Standard must meet a total of 154 performance criteria and 521 compliance criteria, thereby showing they deliver real environmental and social benefits.
"Farmed salmon has long been an excellent protein choice for consumers," said Gerardo Balbontin, Co-Chair of the GSI and CEO of Blumar Seafoods. "It is healthy, nutritious and packed full of protein. But now, following the comprehensive ASC standard certification process, we are able to document the sustainability, and environmental and social performance of our industry. For customers looking for the gold standard in seafood, they know that when they purchase farmed salmon recommended by the Seafood Watch program and the ASC, they are making the right choice in choosing seafood that is produced to the highest standards."
- Taken from Intrafish.com, June 2017
SHRIMP REPORT: U.S. Shrimp import prices, volumes on the rise
Most popular size jumped 12% in volume and 21% in price
U.S. shrimp imports through April were up compared to the same period as last year.
Overall, the United States imported 179,700 metric tons of shrimp worth $1.7 billion, a 3 and 9 percent increase in volume and value respectively, year on year, according to statistics released Friday by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
Imports of shell-on, frozen warm water shrimp, all sizes combined, amounted to 63,335 metric tons worth $605.3 million, a 1 percent drop in volume but a 3 percent increase in value year on year.
The most popular size was 31/40, with the United states importing 13,411 metric tons worth $113 million, a 12 and 21 percent increase in volume and value, respectively year on year. Most came from Ecuador: 4592 metric tons worth $37.8 million a 25 and 35 percent jump in volume and value respectively.
The next most popular size in volume was 21/25: 10,524 metric tons worth $106.3 million were brought into the U.S. during a period, a 2 percent drop in volume but a 4 percent increase in value year on year.
The U.S. also imported 13,747 metric tons of breaded frozen shrimp worth $99.8 million, a 7 and 11 percent increase in volume and value, respectively year on year.
- Taken from Intrafish.com June, 2017
Thai Producers Plan for Shrimp Output to Rebound in Second Half of 2017
Thai producers plan to increase their shrimp output in the second half of this year, after output from farms dropped year- on -year in the first two quarters of 2017, industry sources told us. Heavy rain, which has caused floods in several provinces, as well as ongoing disease issues, limited the growth of Thai shrimp production in the first half of this year, Thai Union Group's shrimp unit managing director, Preerasak Boonmechote, told us during a recent visit to the firm's processing plant near Bangkok, before the Thaifex trade show in Bangkok.
Thai shrimp production is expected to grow 5% overall this year, lower than earlier expectations of 10-15% output growth, Boonmechote said, pointing to the fact that heavy rain had limited the country's production growth plan.
In 2016, Thailand's production increased around 50,000 metric tons to 300,000t, Robins McIntosh, senior vice president of Thai agribusiness and food processing giant Charoen Pokphand Foods, said in January, at the Global Seafood Market Conference in San Francisco, California. According to Thai Union's estimates, Thai production in 2016 totaled slightly less, about 250,000t.
Meanwhile, Thai shrimp prices, which are on the rise again, are expected to either remain stable or grow 5% y-o-y in 2017, according to Boonmechote.
- Taken from Seafoodnews.com June 2017
SHRIMP INDEX: Thursday, July 6 2017
Published by Urner Barry. © Urner Barry 2017 All Rights Reserved
JAPANESE CULTURE: Trekking Through Nature- Long Trails Japan Style
The beautiful Shinetsu Trail along the border of Nagano Prefecture
and Niigata Prefecture.
Mountain climbing and camping have become popular in Japan over the past few years. More and more young people are enjoying mountain climbing in fashionably colorful clothing that combines function with style. Also, long trail hiking is starting to boom as a new and enjoyable activity.In general, long trail hiking, which is different from aiming to reach the top of a mountain as a goal, is hiking outdoors from place to place using old roads, forest roads and trails. Long trail distances can be from hundreds to thousands of kilometers in length, but only a few people trek through the entire distance of a trail in a single journey; you can simply enjoy your favorite route on the weekend and hike at your own pace. A reason long hikes are popular is because the path may pass through towns and villages, where you can learn about the area's history and culture and meet the local people as part of the trip.
Enjoying the Outdoors of a Locality on Foot
There are long trails that are several thousand kilometers in length in Europe and America, the home grounds of long hiking, but in narrow Japan with its limited land area there are no such long trails. On the other hand, each region in Japan does have its own distinctive trails, and there are now 10 trails registered with the Japan Long Trail Association. Here we will introduce some of them.
There are also tour events on the Hokkaido Tokachi Long Trail in which many people hike together.
In the far north of Japan, in Hokkaido, there's the Tokachi Long Trail. The Tokachi region is an agricultural area, and along this trail you can enjoy rural scenery such as corn crops, and pastures for cows, horses and sheep.
The 80-kilometer Shinetsu Trail along the border of Nagano Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture is a hike through beautiful beech forest. It used to be a key transportation route, and it's said that it was used to carry salt and seafood from the Japan Sea and Japanese paper and rapeseed oil from inland. It's a trail where you can enjoy nature and history.
Many people from youngsters to seniors enjoy the outdoors along the Yatsugatake Sanroku Super Trail.
Takashima Trail. It has scenery that can only be seen by the people that hike it
Just about in the middle of the Japanese islands is the Yatsugatake Sanroku Super Trail. It's about 200 kilometers long and circles the base of the Yatsugatake mountain range. It has many highlights like beautiful mountains, alpine plants, lakes, bogs and historical ruins.
A long trail that's typical of the Kansai area is the Takashima Trail in the northwest of Shiga Prefecture. There's abundant vegetation, irreplaceable nature, and you can also expect to see Lake Biwa, Japan's biggest lake, and the novel narrow inlet of Wakasa Bay from many places.
One more of the attractions of the long trails is enjoying the foods grown locally.
Proper Equipment for a Safe and Comfortable Trip
If you have standard outdoor equipment you can feel at ease and comfortably enjoy long trail hiking. This includes rainproof and moisture-permeable rainwear, inner wear to prevent sweating and chilling, pants that are easy to move in, hiking boots and a backpack that can hold all the items you need to carry.
Because you'll be walking long distances it's important to choose light items. Also, be sure to have water, a course map, headlamp and first aid supplies. Make careful preparations and be sure someone knows your route and schedule. You'll enjoy walking Japan's long trails.
- Taken from Trends in Japan
SALMON UPDATE: Farmed Salmon Prices Enter Summer Season Decline
Farmed salmon prices have been in decline since Memorial Day weekend with traders reporting quiet demand in the market with inventories well supplied.
This is a typical time of the year to see farmed salmon prices come down. Salmon starts to compete with other, more grill friendly protein options at the retail level. Buyers also begin to source wild-caught salmon from Alaska as those supplies come become readily available.
Urner Barry's Salmon Index shows monthly prices in June at $5.25 per pound, just marginally lower from May but more than $0.50 per pound lower from the start of the year.
Weekly prices have been in decline since before Memorial Day weekend.
The seasonal decline is not as pronounced in 2017 as it's been in past years like in 2014 and 2016 and these prices are still at record levels.
Still, fresh salmon fillet imports are down about 8 million pounds compared to last year but traders are reporting adequate supplies and a quiet demand.
So while farmed salmon prices are still trending at record highs in June the market does appear to be entering a period of summer season decline.
- Taken from SeafoodNews.com June, 2017
Land-based Salmon Farming: The numbers now make sense.
One of Langsand Laks' 13 tanks
Land-based salmon farming is closer than ever before to being a financially viable alternative to traditional net pens, according to a report by DNB Markets. (DNB Markets is Norway's leading investment bank.)
With supply growth from traditional farming dwindling due to biological challenges and tighter regulatory controls, and new licenses expensive or impossible to secure, land-based is increasingly an answer, wrote analysts Alexander Aukner and Tone Bjornstad Hanstad.
"With low supply growth, salmon prices are likely to stay high for the next two years, reducing the risk of a price collapse before volumes from a land-based project reach the market. At the same time, production costs for traditional and land-based farming are starting to converge as biological costs for sea-based farming increase, and technological advances reduce land-based costs."
In the past, high production costs and investment needs, combined with elevated risks and the long period from investment to first cash flow, have been major barriers for land-based salmon facilities. Now, required investment per kilogram of land-based produced salmon produced has fallen with the technological development and increased scale, said DNB.
Click here to read full article
- Taken from undercurrentnews.com, March 2017
