Supermarket Perimeter - June 2021 - 58

Seafood: Whitefish
Consumers today see the brands they support as catalysts
for change; they seek out companies that share their values
and play a role in making the world a better place. "
Ken Taylor, Peter Pan Seafood
for Peter Pan to come up with new products and get its retail partners
excited about them.
" We work closely with our retailers to help identify what items move
best for their consumers. Based on that feedback, coupled with chef
collaboration to develop restaurant-quality products that include
seasoning and marinating, we've introduced new product forms and
value-added items that are both easier for the seafood departments
to handle and simpler for the consumer to take home and prepare, "
Taylor said.
Not only are people eating more fish, he added, but they're also more
motivated to purchase eco-convenient products than ever before -
things that are easy to prepare but are also responsibly sourced and
environmentally friendly. Peter Pan - which follows strict grading and
quality standards, is a product of the USA and caught in Alaska - is a
natural fit for these trends, he said.
" Consumers today see the brands they support as catalysts for
change; they seek out companies that share their values and play a role
in making the world a better place. At Peter Pan, we have a culture of
continuous improvement - meaning the company is actively
engaged in how we can do better by our people,
by the coastal communities of Alaska,
and by the world's oceans. "
Whitefish among record-setting USDA seafood purchase
Alaskan pollock and Pacific whiting filets are two of the seafood and
other agricultural products the US Department of Agriculture is buying
in an effort to aid both those in need and producers hit hard by COVID.
The seafood part of the buy is the largest-ever seafood purchase by
the agency.
In all, up to $159.4 million in domestically produced seafood, fruits,
legumes, and nuts will be purchased and distributed to a variety of
domestic food assistance programs, including charitable institutions.
The purchases include $20 million for Alaskan pollock and $9 million
for Pacific whiting filets.
" The impacts of COVID-19 reverberated from our farms to our
oceans, " said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. " US fisheries and the
American seafood industry were dealt a heavy blow. USDA is pleased to
make the largest single seafood purchase in the department's history. "
Other seafood products included in the purchase include Gulf of
Mexico and South Atlantic wild-caught shrimp, Pacific pink shrimp,
Pacific rockfish fillets and sockeye (red) salmon.
The inventories of these commodities are in
high oversupply due to a decrease in demand
because of the COVID-19 pandemic and
disruption in the supply chain, as restaurants
and other outlets closed during the
pandemic.
Within a few days of
Whitefish varieties
are staples for
retailers because
of their familiarity,
affordability and ease
of preparation.
approval, USDA's Food and
Nutrition Service will offer the
commodities to their networks.
Orders should be received
during the first week of June
with solicitations being issued
mid-June and awards occurring
near the end of the month. Deliveries
should start to occur by mid-August.
The purchases are being made
utilizing funds under the authority
of Section 32 of the Agricultural
Adjustment Act (Pub. L. 74-320), as amended
(Section 32). This is one of many actions
USDA is taking to address the disruptions
in the food system supply chain and
worsened food insecurity resulting from the
pandemic.
58 - JUNE 2021
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Supermarket Perimeter - June 2021

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