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On some of European waterways a fleet of kayaks have been fitted with an unusual accessory: A trash can.…

International food processors and retailers were invited by Sealed Air to the company’s brand-new Milan Packforum in June this year for an update on how the market is changing from commodity to premium products and how industry players manage to do so while improving their green credentials. At the event, Rabobank – a leading international bank with a mission to promote greater sustainability in food production – showed that adding value to products and following convenience trends are key factors for retailers to succeed. Rabobank demonstrated this using the example of salmon, which now shows the highest consumption among all proteins thanks to products being innovative, convenient for consumers and packaged for premium positioning.

Twenty-nine Danish suppliers in the global fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing industries will travel to Trondheim Spektrum, Norway for this years Aqua Nor conference. The conglomerate of Danish suppliers represents Fish Tech, Danish Export Association, the largest group of Danish suppliers in the fishing equipment sector. Head of Fish Tech Martin Winkel expects this year’s Aqua Nor conference to be especially remarkable because of shifting market forces that are demanding more sustainable products. ”Accordingly, [this shift] offers great potential for Danish suppliers that hold a position as front-runners in developing new technology with a strong focus on high quality solutions, cost-efficiency and sustainability,” Martin said. 

On 12 September over 7,000 food industry specialists from 11 different countries will flock to Warsaw, Poland to see the latest and greatest of the Polish agri-food sector. The Ptak Warsaw Expo, the largest food fair in Poland, is an opportunity for producers to present their food to representatives of the largest retail chains in Poland and foreign purchasing groups in the HoReCa industry. The event aims to promote the Polish food sector both domestically and abroad by facilitating an opportunity to establish direct business contracts. This year thee will be buyers from all over the world including the Ukraine, Lithuania, United Arab Emirates, China, Tukey and Azerbaijan.

Falling fish population across the world are prompting innovators to look to the lab to find new ways at producing inexpensive fish products. Globally, demand for salmon has skyrocketed, along with demand for all fish, fueling overfishing and threatening the stocks of many fisheries. Fish and seafood now account for almost a fifth of the animal protein people consume making the need for a solution to a potential seafood shortage urgent. Maynard, United States based AquaBounty Technologies is hoping its genetically modified version of Atlantic salmon, which is says grows twice as fast as normal salmon, will soon become a top consumer choice. The company raises the salmon in land-based production systems that eliminate the various risks to wild fish, humans and the environment posed by farmed salmon.

Surviving in a competitive marketplace is increasingly dependent on the effective implementation of information technology for process control and automation.  Technology in this sector is evolving rapidly, especially with the recent proliferation of virtual reality. Fortunately, on 25 September, Marel, a supplier of integrated systems and machines for the meat, fish and poultry industries will host the Whitefish Showhow in Progress Point, Copenhagen addressing these themes. The conference will showcase the latest high-tech processing solutions for fish products. Demonstrations of Marel equipment and software will run all day. In addition to live demonstrations, visitors will also be able to experience cutting-edge innovation and technology via virtual reality. The upcoming event is Marel’s fifth edition of the Whitefish Showhow.

Turkeys aquaculture exports during this season reached $582.2 million, a 9 percent increase compared to the same period last year according to the Eastern Black Sea Exports Association. Some 118,954 tonnes of aquaculture products were exported between September 1 and April 15, 2019.The Netherlands, Japan and Italy were the leading export destinations for frozen fish fillets from Turkey

Hungary has revealed plans to build a new carbon-neutral greenhouse-filled farming city that will be powered by renewable energy sources. The farming city will include one of Europe’s largest indoor fish farming facilities. The €1 billion agricultural center will adjoin the border between Hungary, Austria and Slovakia. It will cover 330 hectares – equivalent to 500 football pitches.

Should Brexit come to pass, Danish fishermen might find themselves in a tricky situation. If Britain leaves the EU and Denmark loses access to British waters the Danish fishing fleet will lose 30 percent, or about 1 billion Kroner, of total annual income, according to a report from the Department of food and Resource Economics at the University of Copenhagen.  Brexit could have the most negative impact on larger fishing corporations, which would end up losing 61 percent of total income. The Danish government is working towards a scenario in which the Danish fishing fleet will have access to British waters even if the UK leaves the EU. A recent deal between the Faroe Islands and the UK may set a positive president for trade relations between the UK and the rest of Europe in a post Brexit EU.

Sursan Su Urunleri AS, a fish production company based in Turkey, became one of the first companies awarded Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ACS) certification for farmed seabass, seabream and meagre. The two farms operated by Sursan share this accomplishment with Nireus, a Greek farm which received ACS certification at the same time. The certification for all four farms were carried out by independent Conformity Assessment Body Acoura. The certification guarantees the products are produced in a socially and environmentally sustainable manner. Since receiving certification on June 5, 2019, producers of seabass and seabream have responded enthusiastically with a strong demand for ACS certified products. High demand for ACS certified products has driven more farms to schedule audits to the new standard. Farms in Turkey, Greece, Spain, Croatia and Albania have all undergone audits since Sursan received ACS certification.