A Newsletter for the Seafood Industry published by the Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing
June 2007
2007 China Fisheries and Seafood Expo
November 6-8, 2007
Dalian World Expo Center
Dalian, China
Do you want to sell more products to China? A cost-effective way to develop relationships is participation in the China Fisheries and Seafood Expo 2007. The Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing is working with the Southern U.S. Trade Association (SUSTA) to sponsor a Southern U.S. Seafood Pavilion at the 2007 Expo, November 6-8, 2007, in Dalian, China. There is exhibit space for five companies from the southern U.S.
China Fisheries and Seafood Expo is considered one of the top three seafood shows in the world. A record 18,000 qualified buyers from throughout China and 82 other countries attended China Fisheries and Seafood Expo 2006. Many agree that no other seafood market in the world is growing faster than China. In 2005, the reported value of China’s seafood imports grew another 28 percent to more than $4 billion. Selling seafood to this fast-growing market is arguably the best seafood market opportunity in the world. As its booming economy improves living standards and demand for seafood soars, China’s seafood imports are projected to reach almost $10 billion by the end of this decade. No matter what kind of seafood you sell, China’s growing appetite for seafood makes it a good market opportunity for your company.
The $2,000 participation fee includes a 9-square-meter exhibit space ($4,000 value) plus company signage, locked tall counter, carpet and electricity. Participants in the pavilion will receive support before and after the show from SUSTA’s in-country consultant. The consultant will set up appointments during the show with companies that are interested in your particular product.
To register and discuss how you can take advantage of this opportunity, contact Dot Williamson at williad@doacs.state.fl.us or 850-488-0163.
Focus on Florida Seafood and Aquaculture
There is a growing curiosity among Floridians about the state’s seafood and aquaculture species. It may have something to do with the “buy local” trend, or it may be simply a desire to learn about their state. It makes sense the Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing would field these questions. One of the bureau’s roles is to serve the public by providing information about Florida’s seafood and aquaculture products and the industry that produces them. To make this information available to Floridians and to enhance our current information dissemination, the bureau has begun writing bimonthly columns titled “Focus on Florida Seafood and Aquaculture.” These columns will cover a wide array of interesting and entertaining Florida seafood and aquaculture topics. The topics will range from timely issues and species information to recipes and even include a little seafood history. To make sure the columns stay on target, the bureau invites ideas and questions from readers at the end of each column. These columns are available to Florida print media free of charge. To date, 15 newspapers and magazines have signed up to receive the articles.
Monterey Aquarium’s Cooking for Solutions 2007
Welcomes Wild Florida Shrimp
Florida’s Allen Susser of Chef Allen’s in Miami was a Guest Celebrity Chef at Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Cooking for Solutions 2007, May 18-19 in Monterey, California. Chef Allen, sponsored by the Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing, prepared his signature Wild Florida Shrimp Tangerine Mojito using wild Florida shrimp provided by Bama Sea Products of St. Petersburg. Susser was one of the 13 renowned chefs from the United States, Canada and Panama committed to sustainable seafood who participated in this event.
This was the sixth year Cooking for Solutions 2007 brought together noted chefs to serve as ambassadors for sustainable dining. Some of North America’s greatest chefs including Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger -- the “Too Hot Tamales” from Border Grill in Santa Monica and Las Vegas -- shared their passion for fine dining and environmentally sustainable living. Celebrity chefs from three nations -- selected for their leadership as advocates for sustainable cuisine -- created gourmet dishes, hosted food and wine adventures, and presented cooking demonstrations that featured sustainable seafood and organic ingredients.
“Wild Florida shrimp, a natural sustainable resource, explodes with flavor making it a favorite ingredient at Chef Allen’s restaurant,” Susser said. “We hold the future of our food supply in our forks. Depending on our commitment to ‘buying sustainable,’ in this case local fish and seafood, and our understanding of seasonality of the supply, we can make wise choices and make a difference.” Chef Allen is a James Beard Award winner as best chef in the Southeast and creator of New World Cuisine using fresh ingredients in a fusion of Caribbean, Latin American and contemporary American styles. He is also author of three cookbooks including New World Cuisine and Cookery, The Great Mango Book and The Great Citrus Book.
Seafood and Aquaculture Advisory Council Meets in St. Petersburg
Fourteen industry members participated in the Florida Seafood and Aquaculture Advisory Council meeting on May 17 in St. Petersburg. This meeting was held as a part of the Southeastern Fisheries Association’s annual conference.
Dot Williamson and Phyllis McCranie, Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing, provided an overview of bureau activities conducted thus far this fiscal year. Total bureau activities for July 2006 through April 2007 earned 328,723,182 impressions, $260,119 ad value, and generated $22,750,000 in sales. This exposure was produced by a combination of public relations, event and logo incentive initiatives. The new designs for the hard clam, stone crab, mahi-mahi, oyster, lobster and healthy facts brochure and the hard clam poster were displayed. In addition, a mockup of a children’s activity brochure was circulated for attendee input.
Discussion about product substitution issues included an update from Mark French of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Food Safety, about the DNA seafood testing activities this fiscal year to date. French indicated that they had completed 300 tests since last July, which was as many as had been done in the six previous years. Input was given by industry members regarding a draft of product substitution information for consumers. When finalized, this information will be placed on a page in the www.FL-Seafood.com web site.
Members of the Seafood and Aquaculture Advisory Council:
Ron Harrison, SYSCO
Gary Graves, Keys Fisheries, Inc.
Gwen Hughes, Gulf and South Atlantic Fisheries Foundation
Peter Jarvis, Triar Seafood Company
Bob Jones, Southeastern Fisheries Association
Edward C. Mangano, Aquagem Farms, Inc.
Nancy Mathews, Cox’s Wholesale Seafood
Jay Moon, Moon’s Seafood
Adam Zewen, Bama Sea Products, Inc.
Eugene Raffield, Raffield Fisheries
Laurilee Thompson, Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant
Sal Versaggi, Versaggi Shrimp
2007 European Seafood Exposition
Beaver Street Fisheries and Markey’s Caviar were among the seven companies from the Southern United States that participated in the Southern U.S. Seafood Pavilion at the 2007 European Seafood Exposition (ESE) in Brussels, Belgium. This pavilion was sponsored by the Southern United States Trade Association and coordinated by the Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing. Seafood companies from Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina also participated.
Participating companies reported sales of $13.25 million at the show and additional sales during the next 12 months of $12.8 million as a result of the contacts made during ESE.
Marky’s Caviar was a finalist in this year’s Seafood Prix d’Elite. This competition names the best new retail and foodservice products at the ESE and offers special awards for health and nutrition, retail packaging, originality, convenience and seafood product line.
The majority of the exhibit costs were paid by SUSTA with Market Access Program (MAP) funds allocated by USDA to increase exports of U.S. seafood and agricultural products. Each company was responsible for their transportation, food and lodging. This is the 12th year that SUSTA has sponsored an exhibit at this event billed as the largest seafood only trade show in the world.
Nip and Tuck -- Our Brochures Get a New Look
Our point-of-purchase species recipe brochures are undergoing a makeover with a new look, new recipes and new colorful food photos. Our consumer brochures include more information about each finfish or shellfish species, nutritional values, buying, storing, safe handling and cooking tips, health and mislabeling advisories.
The new brochure recipes include a variety of cuisine choices to encourage consumers to “buy and try” the seafood of their choice. The accompanying photos help them visualize the recipe and tantalize their taste buds too. At least one “old favorite” recipe is included in the selections.
Our goal is to develop and publish a new brochure every month until we have updated all of the species in our current line of brochures. Thus far, new brochures have been published for hard clams, oysters, spiny lobster, stone crab, mahi-mahi and nutrition facts. The snapper family and grouper brochures are currently in development and will be available this summer.
The new recipes and photos are the result of a team effort with Justin Timineri, executive chef for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who creates recipes and handles preparation, Barbera Turnbull, who develops the themes and handles the food styling, and a talented professional photographer getting just the right lighting and angles for shots that showcase our succulent Florida seafood.
In addition, our photos are available to industry for publication purposes and can be requested by contacting Barbera Turnbull at turnbub@doacs.state.fl.us. To order brochures or to access the new recipes go to our web site www.FL-Seafood.com.
Panacea Blue Crab Festival 2007
The Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing participated in the 33rd Annual Blue Crab Festival on May 5. Held annually at Wooley Park on scenic Dickerson Bay, this festival was organized in 1975 to promote the crab industry in Wakulla County.
The festival kicked off with a parade down U.S. Highway 98. Brochures and posters of locally available seafood were distributed at the event. The "Fresh from Florida" logo was prominently displayed on local billboards and the large event sign located next to the stage. Festival activities included arts and crafts, delicious seafood, a mullet toss and a blue crab picking contest.
Home Shopping Network Opportunity
The Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing is looking for FAPC members who have gourmet products to be featured on Home Shopping Network’s (HSN) Florida Day. We are specifically looking for Florida seafood products such as pink shrimp, gourmet crab cakes, gator tail, stuffed fish, and any other food items of this nature.
Items must be offered in retail (consumer) quantities and be able to be drop shipped anywhere in the United States by your company. Companies must be ready to handle the volume of orders that would be generated by phone orders to HSN.
If you are an interested FAPC member who has products that meet HSN’s criteria and would like to submit your product to be considered by HSN for this one-day event with national coverage, please contact Justin Timineri at (850) 922-9207.
Is it Really Florida Grouper?
The Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing’s web site now features a section dedicated to mislabeling of fish species, an illegal practice in Florida. Florida grouper -- because of its limited supply and relatively high price -- has been especially targeted by unscrupulous merchants who seek to deceive and cheat consumers. There have been numerous instances of lesser-value fish species being substituted for Florida grouper.
The web site helps consumers educate themselves by providing information about the appearance and texture of Florida grouper and photos showing samples of grouper filets versus other commonly substituted fish. The web site also suggests that consumers deal with merchants they trust. There are many markets and restaurants in Florida that pride themselves on serving Florida seafood.
The section on grouper substitution can be found at www.fl-seafood.com/consumers/grouper_substitution.htm.
Please check back to the web site, because it will soon include information for Florida retailer and restaurants. Contact us with questions or concerns at (850) 488-0163 or seafood@doacs.state.fl.us.
“Fresh from Florida” Merchandise on the Web
Now you can order T-shirts, hats and tote bags with the “Fresh from Florida” logo on them. Visit www.Florida-Agriculture.com and click on the tab labeled Consumers. In the right-hand corner, click on the icon that says “Visit the Online Merchandise Store.”
We are proud to bring you this great program. Through this secure online shopping cart you can purchase quality apparel and accessories with the “Fresh from Florida” logos. You can select the original logo or the “Fresh from Florida Seafood” logo.
With a great selection of shirts, jackets, caps, bags and accessories in hundreds of color combinations, you are sure to find the perfect item for you or your client. Use this site for personal items or to purchase a gift for a client or relative.
Florida Chef George Stella to Compete for
2007 Great American Seafood Cook-Off Title
Chef George Stella has been selected to represent Florida at the Great American Seafood Cook Off 2007 in New Orleans August 4-5. Stella, a longtime Florida chef, is nationally known for his healthy eating message and his low-carbohydrate recipes which helped him overcome serious health issues. He has his own Food Network show “Low Carb and Loving It” and has authored two best-selling cookbooks, “Living Low Carb” and “Eating Stella Style.”
The Great American Seafood Cook Off, the nation's most prestigious seafood competition, is bigger and bolder this year. On August 4, chefs from coast to coast will compete in a seafood cooking extravaganza. On August 5, the top-scoring chefs will vie for the title “King/Queen of American Seafood” by preparing dishes especially designed for the busy home cook.
Chef George’s “healthy eating” story has been chronicled in national magazines and newspapers and featured on FOX, CBS, CNN broadcasts. He also has appeared regularly on ABC’s “The View” promoting healthy eating. George recently appeared on the Fox channel nationally broadcast “Morning Show with Mike and Juliet” in May featuring his “Healthy Kids” message that targets childhood obesity.
With 33 years in Florida, Chef George knows his Florida seafood and includes a variety in his recipes and suggestions for a healthy lifestyle. In the early 1980's, George worked as an executive chef for the Philips Petroleum Company’s showcase restaurant, Windows on the Green located in the Pier 66 Hotel in Fort Lauderdale. George then went on to work with Chef Mark Millitello, the owner of the famous Mark’s restaurants in South Florida. Together they brought the first California Cuisine menu to the state of Florida and also opened Café Max in Pompano Beach. Stella was eventually recruited to be a Disney chef at Walt Disney World’s Grand Floridian Hotel. During his time there, he catered fairy tale weddings and practiced his culinary talents at such fine restaurants as Victoria & Albert’s and Citricos. He also conducted cooking classes and personal chef catering services in Orlando.
Chef George has worked with our bureau in past years promoting Florida seafood and aquaculture and most recently made a guest appearance at the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association’s South Beach Celebrity Chef Golf tournament reception preparing his entrée featuring wild Florida shrimp to the delight of all the attendees.
Chef Justin Timineri from Florida’s Department of Agriculture was last year’s winner, and Florida is looking to bring the title home again this year.
For more information on last year’s event, visit http://www.fl-seafood.com/news/08-10-06.htm
Florida Seafood Restaurants and Retailers
To assist consumers, the Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture Marketing’s web site provides a listing of many of Florida’s seafood restaurants and retail markets that offer Florida seafood.
The listing can be accessed at: http://www.fl-seafood.com/consumers/rest_retail.htm and http://wildfloridashrimp.com/consumers/rest_retail.htm.
In an effort to make the listing more complete, bureau staff has been contacting restaurants and retailers not currently on the list. If the restaurant or retail market wishes to be listed and offers Florida seafood products for sale it is added to our web site listing.
FAPC Logo Incentive Program
FAPC members are taking advantage of the Logo Incentive Program. A portion of the cost of printing labels, brochures and other point of purchase materials are offset for members of the “Fresh from Florida” FAPC program. This year’s program was expanded and reimbursements were awarded for using the logo on business vehicles. Designed to offset a portion of printing costs while promoting the “Fresh from Florida” message, this program offers a new venue for delivery. The program has currently ended for the 2006-2007 fiscal year, but is tentatively scheduled to begin in October for the 2007-2008 fiscal year.
Central Seafood Company took advantage of the business vehicle reimbursement. Other seafood companies participating in the logo incentive program were Andy’s Island Seafood, Southern Cross Sea Farms, Raffield Fisheries, Inc., Seafood Atlantic, Inc. and Sebastian Sea Products.
To find out more about the program, please contact Kechia Dean at (850) 921-1845.
Publication Number DACS-P-01430
