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Monday, September 10, 2007 EU Sales of Asian Fish Rising Rapidly Farmed fish from Asia could provide Norwegian fish with tough competition in the European market place, according to a report prepared by the Norwegian Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Fiskeriforskning). Sales of skinless and boneless pangasius fillets are rising rapidly in Europe. It is in particular the farmed fish species pangasius - also known as Vietnamese pangasius catfish - that is showing strong growth in Europe. Vietnam is the largest producer of this white fish species. The white flesh and low price results in the fish in the first instance being a potential competitor to frozen Norwegian white fish products such as cod, saithe, haddock, redfish and Greenland halibut. Norwegian products have not thus far felt the effect of the imports of pangasius, which, according to the report issued by Fiskeriforskning as a commission from the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, is probably due to the fact that the increase in imports from Vietnam has coincided with the increase in demand for seafood in the EU. Production of pangasius is in a period of strong growth, and the volume is expected to reach in the region of one million tons in 2010. Pangasius is sold as frozen fillets to the EU. Imports are increasing at a rapid rate, and reached approximately 130,000 tons in 2006. Russia imported more than 40,000 tons. The report points out that a large number of European frozen fish producers are now launching products with pangasius, and that several new products are making the entry into the major grocery chains. There is in other words every reason to take the competition from pangasius seriously. Norwegian fish may feel the competition in particular in frozen consumer pack products, for example breaded fish, where the species does not necessarily have any great influence on the consumer's choice of product. The report points out that the Norwegian fisheries and aquaculture industries are well equipped to meet the threat of competition from new species, and that there a number of strategies that can be applied. Further, many European consumers have a personal economy that permits them to purchase Norwegian seafood, even though prices may be higher than produce from some other countries. – FishUpdate First Tuna Fishery to Receive MSC Eco-LabelFor the first time in history a tuna fishery is to be awarded the Marine Stewardship Council’s coveted eco-label for sustainable fishing. The American Albacore Fishing Association (AAFA) tuna fishery, operating in the North and South Pacific Ocean, passed its full assessment last week when independent certifier Moody Marine awarded AAFA its certificate. It is the first tuna fishery in the world to receive the accolade. Products from the AAFA tuna fishery may now carry the Marine Stewardship Council eco-label (subject to a Chain of Custody audit), which will distinguish it as a certified sustainable and well-managed fishery. The AAFA tuna fishery is a small, family-run fishery operating out of San Diego. The fish are caught using the poll & line techniques (and the troll and line techniques in the south Pacific) and its members pride themselves on the care they take to protect the marine environment. Skipper Jack “Bandini” Webster explains: “Tuna fishermen seem to get a bad rap in a worldwide way. Most of the fishermen who are left love the ocean-- you’ve got to love it because it’s real hard work. Being certified sustainable is important to us. Fishermen who are doing the right thing should prove that they are and talk about it. That’s what this certificate is all about.” There are 21 boats in the association catching around 3,000 – 4,000 tons of albacore tuna per year. – FishUpdate Column: China Scares and Political Dares LOS ANGELES - It might almost seem like a game of geopolitical chicken — how far can we go in creating monstrous fears about China? We only have to turn the clock back a few years to realize what is happening. The year was 1999, and the now forgotten Cox Report on Chinese espionage made red-letter headlines. The Chinese were (allegedly) spying on the United States, stealing technology for warheads and nuclear weapons from here, there and everywhere. Why — that China-born (or maybe just Chinese) lab assistant is probably working for Beijing intelligence. Better get an FBI man on him! And the U.S. news media on the whole went for the scare big time. It took longer than I expected for cooler heads to prevail. But today, thankfully, even some of the marquee members of the Cox Commission that produced the overblown report sadly realize they were being used for crass political purposes and the whole deal was the hype of all hypes. Yes, "Red" China spies on us — and we spy on "Red" China. And the French spy on us and we spy on the French and Israel has been known to spy on us and we spy on Iran — every nation in the whole world is spying on someone or another. Let's grow up, children. It's the 21st century! The latest China scare has been of a less technological and a more family-oriented nature. People can easily understand toys sloshed over with lead paint. Not good of Santa (although notice he always wears a RED suit) to come down the chimney with those goodies, right? Then there's the foul seafood that isn't fit to be eaten even by other fish. And then there are allegations about Chinese tires that are bummers and toothpaste that's not fit for human gums — and so on. My guess is we haven't heard the end of the allegation-stream yet. In fact, of course we haven't: Just the other day came reports of Chinese hacking into Pentagon computers. Exactly who the alleged hackers were in China and what the hack attacks were designed to garner for their country remains vague, to say the least. And what else are they hacking into these days? Your private email to a loved one — my Visa and Mastercard accounts (god forbid, speaking of red...)? You see, the great thing about a scare is that it is almost all scare and dare and very little fact and perspective. Whether it's the red scare under McCarthy or the great Cox Commission spy scare or the seafood and Mattel scare today, there is so much media smoke you can barely breathe, much less think clearly. Don't get me wrong. Product safety and national security are important issues. Every effort — on both sides of the Pacific Ocean — is needed to insure acceptable quality standards. But tension always exists, especially in market societies, between the cost of manufacturing, shipment and sale, and the price tag that goes on the product. Safety specialists want the quality as high as possible. Corporations want the profit margin to be as big as possible. There is always going to be a conflict of interests between those two goals. That's where government should come in. The private sector — retailers in the United States, for instance, or manufacturers in China — should practice ethical business conduct, and many of them do. But not all will. What's essential, therefore, is good governance. We will always need it, because there's no such thing as a free lunch or truly bargain toy, unless the toy has little parts that your kid can choke on and the lunch is inedible. Price is not everything. The Chinese, in their enormous export leviathan effort of the past ten years, have made very significant contributions not only to their own economy (by creating jobs) but also to ours (by keeping prices and thus, inflation down). For which, a round of applause is due. But now is the time to add quality-control, and that entails new costs. There is no free government inspector, no free lead-free paint, and no cheap fish that is fit to eat. The days of the near-free Chinese lunch is coming to an end. The Chinese, for their part, seem to have recognized the grave stakes involved for looking unconcerned. They are reacting, but they could use more help, more sympathy and more cooperation from the U.S. side. This means less politicking, less hysteria, less hack politics. It would be very sad to see the superpower of the 20th century and the potential superpower of the 21st century going separate ways because of yet another unneeded China scare. – Tom Plate for AsiaMedia, UCLA Asia Institute The Power of Sour: Vinegar Rivals Salt For 10,000 years, vinegar has been as essential as salt. Most of the vinegar we use today is a lot like that ancient brew: clear, distilled, with four- to nine-per-cent acidity, and a powerful ability to preserve and flavor everything from pickles to butter tarts. The higher the grain ratio used in the fermentation, the stronger the vinegar will be. Early fall is vinegar season, a time to make sauces and pickles, and sample stronger, warmer flavors. As an experimental cook, I rely on vinegar for inspiration, and always have a collection of different specialty vinegars in my cupboard: cider and malt, two or three wine vinegars, three levels of balsamics, Japanese rice vinegar, black (jit chang) Chinese vinegar, plus two or three fruit vinegars. Each one is a different flavor or a different strength. Use vinegar in marinades, sauces, dressings and dips. Love it as a finishing drizzle for steaks, chops and salads. Adding a splash to a pot of borscht makes all the difference. Basic vinegar pantry Malt vinegar is aged, filtered, brownish vinegar made from distilled cereal grains. Our ancestral cooks used to steep grain in water and let it germinate then ferment into a tasty malt brew. Many Brits would find fish and chips impossible without it. Rice vinegar is made by allowing rice to ferment in water. The result is aged, filtered and usually bottled at less than four-per-cent acetic acid. It's mild, and I prefer it for couscous salad and fresh cucumber pickles. It also makes a good base for fruit vinegars. White wine vinegar begins with a blend of white wines or sometimes a single varietal. After further fermentation, it will be aged and filtered to a clear, tangy, straw-colored liquid. The taste is distinctly acidic, and the aroma will remind you of the grape that produced it. Sprinkle it sparingly on melons or berries. Use it in salsa. Replace heavy cream or butter with a splash of white wine vinegar to balance flavors. Raspberry red wine vinegar has been cut with raspberry juice, or has been made with fresh raspberries. Either way, it has deep red color and a delicate raspberry flavor. It's good in fruit salads, basting sauces and marinades. Other specialty vinegars include coconut and cane vinegars, common in India. A dark, sweet date vinegar is popular in the Middle East. Traditional balsamic vinegar is made from the sweet white Trebbiano grapes grown on the hills around Modena, in Tuscany. A cooked grape pulp (the must) is matured by a long, slow process of natural fermentation, followed by aging in a series of small casks made from different types of wood, tucked up in the breezy attics of Italian farmhouses. The color is dark brown, but twinkly with light. The fragrance and flavors are complex, sharp and a perfect blend of sweet and sour. Traditional balsamic vinegars are expensive and rare. Their production is strictly controlled by the Consortium of Producers in Modena. Their vinegars all carry a seal from the Consorzio ensuring they have met stringent standards in a blind-tasting by five experts. One true balsamic vinegar is now produced in Canada by the Venturi Schultz vineyard on Vancouver Island. Commercial balsamic vinegar represents the vast majority of balsamic vinegars available in North America. There is no rule regarding aging and no restriction on woods for storage vats, so it costs less. Commercial balsamics are useful in marinades, sauces and as a finishing drizzle for grilled meats. Wonderful with strawberries, melons and peaches. – The Daily News, Halifax, Canada <<<•>>> Tuesday, September 11, 2007 Everett Fish Market Adds Value EXPENSIVE EVERETT, Wash. - I was prowling around the newsroom Friday morning instead of writing this column when I got into a conversation about business words and phrases. I threw in one I hate, which is the word "hire" used as a noun, as in, "He's one of the new hires." I know I'm being old school, but I just can't accept it. Jim Haley, our court reporter, shared one that he hates, "value added." While it's pretty common in the business world, it certainly is jargon and is not universally understood. Basically, it's changing the preparation, manufacturing or marketing of an item so you've got a better product to sell or have increased or changed its uses. The bottom line is you make more money. Right away, I thought of a great example of a decision that added value to a business just down the block. Suddenly, I had the idea I needed for today's column. D.J. Peterson gets value added. For him, it came in the form of fish and chips. But I'm getting ahead of the story. The Waterfront Fish Market at the corner of Hewitt Avenue and West Marine View Drive has been a favorite of mine ever since I met Bill Grannom, the original owner. I like him and I've always liked his market because it has really fresh fish and its crab cakes (with red pepper or without) are absolutely fabulous. But I was worried about the business because it just didn't seem to have enough customers. That all changed in April of 2006 when Grannom started a fish and chips takeout business in addition to selling raw seafood. D.J. Peterson, who worked in the shop at the time and bought it with his wife, Hallie, later last year, said the idea came up as he and Grannom were fishing in Alaska. "There are a lot of great fish and chips places up there," he said. Before the fish and chips, Peterson said the business was chugging along, but made nearly all its money during the summer months as people came in to buy items for the barbecue. After the walk-up window was added, business boomed, perhaps doubling in summer, he added. The kitchen, which sells a whole array of cooked seafood, not just fish and chips, is about 30 percent of sales right now. But Peterson said it has drawn in loads of new customers, many of whom buy both cooked seafood and fresh items to cook themselves at home. "We get people every day who walk in and say, 'I never knew this was here,'" Peterson said, adding they were drawn in by the seafood kitchen. The shop is selling more volume, so it has a lot less waste than in the past, another benefit of the takeout part of the business. All in all, Peterson said the simple idea of selling people a meal to go has been "gangbusters" for the business. Yes, Peterson gets value added. He considers it crucial for the seafood industry and has several more ideas. I mentioned the crab cakes they already sell that all you have to do is sauté in a pan. He'd like to add some pasta salads, dips, spreads and other items that are ready to eat or to prepare quickly. "Take a piece of halibut and put two or three ingredients on it and you've got a one-step meal," he said. "Nobody has time to cook anymore." I agree with Jim that value added sounds a little like jargon at first. But I get it when Peterson explains it to me. - Mike Benbow for (Everett, Wash.) Herald Chefs Cook Up Medal HonorsAUCKLAND, New Zealand - Two of West Auckland’s leading chefs have scored medals for their outstanding food innovations at the prestigious New Zealand Culinary Fare held in Auckland this month. Shannon Hale, executive chef at The Marina Restaurant and Bar in West Harbour won the Fish and Seafood class for an enticing dish featuring crispy skinned salmon with coriander potato gnocchi and skewered scallops on salad with tarragon vinaigrette. Chef Hale’s sensational effort is all the more astounding, as The Marina hasn’t even opened for business yet. The harborside hospitality venue is scheduled to begin serving customers later this month. However, dedicated chef Hale from Henderson has spent most of the past six weeks practicing his Culinary Fare presentation as builders, electricians and plumbers worked around The Marina’s makeshift kitchen. “It’s been pretty testing,” admitted chef Hale, “but I was determined to keep on practicing under any conditions. In a way, having all that work going on around me while preparing actually simulated the pressure of competing. Wining the medal and taking out the top in the class honor has been a real boost as we get ready for opening the restaurant.” Chef Hale hopes to offer his dish on The Marina’s menu later this year. It is the fourth year Chef Hale from Henderson has picked up a medal at the Culinary Fare, however this year’s class-winning achievement is his best placing. Meanwhile Steve Weston, executive chef at Bricklane Restaurant and Bar in New Lynn, cooked up a podium finishing dish when he scored a bronze medal in the corn-fed free range chicken class – serving up chicken supreme baked with mortadella cheese, sundried tomato, with basil on a confit of purple potatoes with glazed baby vegetables and gazpacho sauce. It is the third consecutive year which chef Weston from Titirangi has cooked up a podium finish at the new Zealand Culinary Fare. He has been cooking at Bricklane Restaurant and Bar for five years. “Preparing for a competition like the Culinary Fare keeps your mind sharp in the kitchen,” confesses chef Weston, “because I’m always on the lookout for new ideas, cooking techniques and flavors to put together for a winning entry. “While I didn’t pick up a gold medal as I had hoped, it was still an incredibly rewarding experience competing live in front of a big crowd and I’ll look at putting the dish on Bricklane’s menu later this year.” The annual New Zealand Culinary Fare at the Auckland Showgrounds is one of the world’s biggest professional cookery competitions – bringing together almost 1000 kitchen and restaurant service competitors in 66 categories from around New Zealand. Held over three days of intense competition, judging the array of different disciplines and categories runs from as early as 6am through to 6pm. - News release from West Auckland Trusts La Marea Opens in South Beach SOUTH BEACH, Fla. - The Tides hotel, taken over by the Kor Group, was set to open on South Beach with the lovely La Marea restaurant in its lobby. But, according to our waiter, a/c problems and some leaks have kept the hotel empty. However, the restaurant featuring the Mediterranean cooking of executive chef Pietro Rota has opened. From the street you'd never know it. Construction on the patio makes the whole place look deserted. In fact, we got a prized parking space right across the street and started walking to the hotel not realizing we were right in front of it — that's how different and empty it looks. Lucky the host and maitre d' wait outside to usher diners up the lighted walkway to the oasis of a dining room of La Marea. Done in a pinkish beige it's a quiet space from the usual gaudy rush of Ocean Drive. Large tortoise shells line the walls. Chef Rota was born in Milan and has worked in London, Germany, France and Brazil before moving to California and now South Florida. I have to admit that although we had PEI mussels in the usual white wine, shallots and butter (I had already given up my bread plate but had to have bread to sop up the delicious sauce) and a salad of arugula with fresh-shaved artichokes, my favorite course was the half portions of pastas. My "artisan rigatoni" each about 2 inches long came with tender, rich pork cheeks and porcini mushrooms. Maccheroni alla chittara was spaghetti with tiny fresh clams, hot red pepper and parsley. The menu is heavy on seafood done simply letting the fresh ingredients speak for themselves. My pan-seared Dover sole with a beurre blanc and a garnish of organic vegetables was lovely. Although the menu says it's filleted tableside our waiter explained that Americans can't seem to handle seeing a head and tail on a fish so they do the deed in the kitchen. Too bad. Pan-roasted snapper came with a selection of salts to sprinkle on (red, black and white). Because it is served sans vegetable garnish we opted for broccoli rabe as a side dish. I like the tartness of this Italian vegetable and didn't feel it needed the white raisins to sweeten it. Others may disagree. I'm doing a story on lemon meringue pie so when I saw a lemon curd tart with tarragon meringue I had to try it. It was nice and tart, but I didn't taste the tarragon. Homemade ice cream is another satisfactory finish. I hope the restaurant can hold out until the condo hotel opens. It would be a shame if timing plays against this oasis. - Deborah Hartz-Seeley for sun-sentinel.com Experts Sort Out Good Fats From Bad U.S. and Canadian experts have teamed up to create Dietary Fatty Acids, a comprehensive recommendation on how much of what types of fats people should include — or avoid — in their diets. Both the American Dietetic Association and the Dietitians of Canada agree that the body needs some fat and that 20 percent to 30 percent of energy needs should be met by dietary fat. The key question is which kind of fats are most healthy. "Of greatest importance is the type of fat one chooses," registered dietitian and co-author Penny Kris-Etherton said in a prepared statement. "The healthiest choices are unsaturated fats found in liquid vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, and omega-3 unsaturated fats found in fatty fish such as salmon, sardines and shellfish." She warned against saturated fats and trans fats. Saturated fats are found in tropical oils, fatty meats and high-fat dairy products. Trans fats are found in commercial baked goods, crackers and high-fat snack foods. Consumers should read nutrition labels to find out what kinds of fats are in the foods they buy, said Kris-Etherton. The Dietary Fatty Acids recommendations guide people to follow a food-based approach for achieving the following fatty acid recommendations:
– forbes.com FDA Considers New Labels to Highlight Nutrition WASHINGTON - If an increasingly overweight America's eyes are bigger than its stomach, then placing more nutritional information in plain sight could allow shoppers to see their way to more healthy choices while scanning food labels. That's an idea being considered by the Food and Drug Administration as it examines whether symbols added to the front of food packages could convey nutrition information in a clear and concise way - without forcing shoppers to pore over the small print usually relegated to the back of the box, bag or can. The agency opened a two-day hearing Monday to collect comments from food companies, trade groups, watchdog organizations, medical experts and their overseas counterparts on the topic. Any action is likely years away. Some food manufacturers and retailers already have begun labeling foods with symbols to indicate how nutritious they are. PepsiCo uses the "Smart Spot" symbol on diet Pepsi, baked Lay's chips and other products. Hannaford Bros., a New England supermarket chain, uses a zero to three-star system to rate more than 25,000 food items it sells. And in Britain, the government has persuaded some food companies to use a "traffic light" symbol. That ranking system relies on green, yellow and red lights to characterize whether a food is low, medium or high in fat, salt and sugar. There is little consistency among the competing symbol regimes, since they can rely on differing criteria and requirements for eligibility, according to the FDA. The agency seeks information on how shoppers respond to the symbols, whether they eat better as a result and how use of the symbols affects sales. - Associated Press <<<•>>> Wednesday, September 12, 2007 Europe bans bluefin tuna fishingEXPENSIVE
The European Commission has banned the fishing of endangered bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean for the rest of the year.
The move was taken to curb over-fishing and dwindling stocks of fish, after the EU reached its 2007 quota. An EU official said it would move to prevent under-reporting of catches and unequal sharing of the quota. The ban affects Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain. Italy and France have closed their fisheries for 2007. Member states had already reached the 2007 quota of 16,779.5 tonnes, the EU said. Countries that had not reached their allocation by the time of the ban could seek future compensation under EU legislation, he added. EU and international rules also exist to punish member states that exceed their quotas. "Clearly there are problems both of over-fishing a stock already threatened with collapse and of equity between the member states concerned," said EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg. France was one of the main culprits, according to figures gathered by environmental group WWF. "France was one of the countries that has caught most of the [EU] quota ... they have over caught their national limit," Carol Phua, WWF Fisheries policy officer, told the BBC News website. The endangered bluefin tuna has been plundered for many years in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, with high rates of unreported over-fishing a key cause of the decline, the EU said. Atlantic bluefin tuna is the best quality tuna in the world, and fisheries earn top dollar exporting the fish to the lucrative Japanese market. The increasing appetite for sushi in Europe is also pushing up demand. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) sets annual fishing quotas to be followed by all member countries. – BBC Be prepared: Here's what your customers are readingIf you want to help maintain supplies of fish for years to come, many marine experts say you should do your part to help with conservation efforts. It doesn't have to be hard. Here's how: 1) Find a reliable fishmonger. Try to cultivate a relationship with a reputable seafood store in your neighborhood. If you don't have one, select your grocery store carefully. Look for evidence that the store cares: Is the fish properly labeled with country of origin and whether it's fresh or farmed? Does the store offer products with the Marine Stewardship Council's logo? Is there an actual human behind the fish counter? Is that person knowledgeable? Visit the company's Web site and call corporate headquarters to find out whether it is trying to source sustainably. 2) Ask that fishmonger questions. Three major factors affecting sustainability are biology (short-lived, quick-maturing fish with vigorous reproductive cycles are highly sustainable), catch methods (hook-and-line and traps are often favored because they have low environmental impact and don't snag many unwanted species), and fishery management (whether good policies are in place for preserving the habitat and the species). For each purchase, ask your purveyor "Where does this fish come from?", "How was it caught?", and, if you really want to push it, "Who caught this fish?" Their answers or willingness to find them will tell you whether to keep shopping there. "These should be as basic as cooking and freshness questions," says Paul Johnson, author of Fish Forever. "It should just become part of the dialogue." 3) Know the right answers. Investigate your favorite seafood. If you like shrimp, should you be buying wild or farmed, imported or American? (Answer: Wild American shrimp are a good choice because U.S. shrimping boats have gear that helps them avoid turtles). Instead of learning the entire seafood universe, thoroughly research your three favorites and figure out where they should come from and how they should be caught or farmed, according to Joey Brookhart, senior project manager for the trade group Seafood Choices Alliance, recommends. On the flip side, identify one fish on the "best" list that you've never tried and see whether you like it. 4) Use the available shortcuts. Carry the Seafood Watch pocket guide and actually pull it out at the fish counter. Look for the Marine Stewardship Council's blue oval. 5) Give yourself a break. "Read the cards, go on Web sites, familiarize yourself with what sustainable means, and with every purchase ask the questions where, when, how, why, who," says chef Barton Seaver, who runs Hook in Washington, D.C. "You may not always make the right choice. But you've started the information trail. And that's the only thing that's going to get us where we need to be. When people start asking why, change begins to happen." – Associated Press Useful Web sites: Marine Stewardship Council (www.msc.org) Seafood Watch (www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp) Seafood Choices Alliance (www.seafoodchoices.com) Blue Ocean Institute (www.blueocean.org) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of Sustainable Fisheries (www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/statusoffisheries/SOSmain.htm) Fishwise: (www.sustainablefishery.org) FishWatch (www.fishwatch.noaa.gov) Shop carefully for seafood that's been harvested in a responsible manner, then make the most of it by giving it star billing in boldly flavored dishes such as these from Paul Johnson's Fish Forever (Wiley, 2007, $34.95). Chinese seafood company exempt from U.S. restrictions WASHINGTON – Federal health officials have allowed a major Chinese producer of farmed shrimp to resume shipping to the United States, making it the first to be exempted from June restrictions put in place over drug contamination worries. Zhangian Guolian Aquatic Products Inc. Ltd. is so far the only Chinese exporter to seek and gain exemption from the Food and Drug Administration import restrictions on five types of farmed seafood. The restrictions affected about 700 Chinese seafood-exporting firms. The FDA put in place the countrywide restrictions after repeated testing of Chinese imports turned up contamination with drugs unapproved in the United States for use in farmed seafood. Beyond shrimp, the restrictions covered eel and three types of fish — catfish, basa and dace. The FDA allowed the company to resume exports after inspecting its processing plant. It also received third-party analyses of five consecutive shipments of shrimp that showed they were free of antibiotic residues, FDA spokeswoman Kimberly Rawlings said. The Chinese government also certified Zhangian Guolian complies with Chinese regulations. The Chinese government intends to use the company as a model, Rawlings said. The FDA expects other companies to seek similar exemptions. Zhangian Guolian is one of China's largest exporters of farmed shrimp, according to the FDA. – International Herald Tribune Wild shrimp said better nutrient source than farmed A three-ounce serving of wild American shrimp may deliver up to 19 percent more of the recommended daily intake (RDI) for vitamin B12 than some varieties of imported pond-raised shrimp, according to a new 13-point nutritional study by ABC Research in Gainsville, Fla. The study investigated the nutritional profile of U.S. wild-caught pink, white and brown shrimp, and pond-raised Indonesian white, Thai white and Vietnamese tiger shrimp. While the amounts of B12 found in the wild American pink, white and brown shrimp respectively exceeded the amounts found in each of the three imported pond-raised varieties, the wild American brown shrimp provided the highest amount of the key nutrient with 38 percent RDI in a three-ounce serving. Vitamin B12 is a key part of a complete diet because it keeps red and white blood cells healthy, in turn helping to prevent heart disease and other diseases affecting the immune system. The nutrient also reduces a person's risk for anemia and for brain malfunctions caused by damage to nerve cells. The study also found statistically significant levels of other key nutrients to be higher in the wild American shrimp varieties, including iron, protein, Omega 3 and calcium, as well as several essential amino acids. "These findings are not only new and valuable to nutritionists, chefs and consumers, but also provide a clearly positive differentiation between wild-caught and the pond-raised shrimp varieties," says Dr. Marge Condrasky, R.D. and assistant professor for the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at Clemson University. Beyond its high density of B12, other factors contribute to shrimp as a heart-beneficial food. "Shrimp are low in fat and rich in healthy fish oils so, on balance, they are a great food to include in a heart healthy diet," says Dr. David Heber, M.D. and director with UCLA's Center for Human Nutrition. – Press release China Promises Cooperative Safety Standards China will work with the United States to ensure the safety of exported toys and other goods, a top Chinese official said, but Beijing still insists it is not solely to blame in recent safety scandals. – International Business Times <<<•>>> Thursday, September 13, 2007 U.S. Import Safety Panel Calls for Risk-based Monitoring EXPENSIVE WASHINGTON – A cabinet-level working group assigned by President Bush in July to explore import safety issues issued its initial report recently, suggesting a risk-based monitoring strategy and calling on government agencies to use technology to improve collaboration on import-related activities. Bush's actions were prompted by several recent product safety problems that surfaced over the summer and involved Chinese imports. Food-related incidents involved melamine-contaminated wheat gluten that was used in animal and fish feed, and seafood that contained residues of unauthorized veterinary drugs. Mike Leavitt, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), led the investigation and presented the report to the president on Sep 10. In a letter that accompanied the report, Leavitt wrote that the United States must shift from a "snapshot" approach of stopping unsafe products at the border to a "video" model that identifies critical points in an imported product's life cycle. "Such a risk-based, prevention-focused model will help ensure that safety is built into products before they reach our borders," Leavitt wrote. Because state and federal agencies don't use integrated information-sharing systems, crucial information on imports is sometimes missed, the report says. For example, the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) import inspection data system is not connected to the system used by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). "This lack of connectivity between CBP and USDA systems has created the possibility, which is now being addressed, for imported products to enter domestic commerce without being inspected in accordance with federal requirements," the report states. Another challenge that government officials need to address is companies and individuals that circumvent US restrictions on certain imports. For example, the working group found that in 2006 CBP intercepted 45 containers of chicken, chicken parts, and other meat products that were smuggled into the country as frozen seafood. Leavitt said in his letter that over the next several weeks the working group will gather comments and recommendations from the public. In mid November the group will follow up with an action plan that will contain several short- and long-term recommendations.- CIDRAP News London Overtakes Tokyo as Priciest City for DiningLONDON - London has overtaken Tokyo as the most expensive city in the world for dining out, with a meal now costing more than twice as much as in New York, according to Tim Zagat, whose guide to London restaurants is published today. Dinner for one with a single drink in the U.K. capital costs 39.09 pounds ($79.44), compared with 35.10 pounds in Tokyo, which has slipped behind Paris, at 35.37 pounds. Meals in New York and Los Angeles cost 19.30 pounds and 15.63 pounds, respectively. "London prices have been edging up, but still it's a surprise,'' said Zagat, who founded the guide with his wife, Nina. "It's now one of the greatest places in the world to eat: It's got depth and diversity. Paris, which used to be best, has never diversified, maybe because they like their French food so much.'' Among the 20 most expensive restaurants, the average cost of a meal rose 6.1 percent from a year earlier to 82.96 pounds, Zagat said. Londoners tend to eat out 2.5 times a week, compared with 2.9 in Paris, 3.4 in New York and 3.6 in Tokyo, he said. Tom Aikens, the British chef who opened a brasserie last year near to his flagship Chelsea restaurant, said that while high prices for dining out are in line with the cost of living in London, people shouldn't have to face huge bills to eat well. ``High prices are part and parcel of living in London, which is very much an expensive city now,'' Aikens said today in an interview at One-O-One restaurant in Knightsbridge, where Tim and Nina Zagat hosted a party for chefs including Giorgio Locatelli of Locanda Locatelli and Michel Roux Jr. of Le Gavroche. Roux said he disagreed with Zagat's findings on price and that Paris is much more expensive than London for fine dining. ``Anyone who eats in a Michelin two- or three-star restaurant in Paris knows exactly what I mean: It's almost double,'' he said in an interview at the Zagat event. ``Lunch at Le Gavroche costs 48 pounds and that includes everything. It's a bargain.'' Gordon Ramsay's flagship establishment loses the top place in "Zagat London Restaurants 2008,'' overtaken by a suburban eatery. Chez Bruce, which holds a single Michelin star, beats Ramsay's three-star establishment on Royal Hospital Road, where dinner costs 107 pounds, compared with 57 pounds at Chez Bruce. Ramsay had held top place for food for seven years. Ramsay's decline follows a similar finding in "Harden's London Restaurants'' guide last month, which showed Chez Bruce taking over top place for food. Ramsay, known for his appearances in TV programs such as ``Hell's Kitchen,'' has nine eateries in London alone and opened a restaurant in New York last November. ``He's a great chef but he may have spread himself a little thin,'' Zagat said in a telephone interview. ``Maybe he'll put a little extra effort in and be No. 1 again next year. He's going to be very happy when the New York guide comes out on Oct. 12.'' Zagat declined to elaborate. Zagat, 67, said New York was his favorite city for dining, followed by London and then Tokyo or Shanghai, with Paris fifth. Top 10 food rankings, with last year in parentheses: 1. Chez Bruce (9) 2. Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road (1) 3. Hunan (-) 4. Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons (4) 5. The Square (8) 6. Petrus (10) 7. Pied a Terre (7) 8. La Trompette (-) 9. Le Gavroche (3) 10. River Cafe (-) -BloombergTips from Todd Mitgang of Crave Ceviche Bar NEW YORK - Todd Mitgang was already taking a risk when he recently opened Crave Ceviche Bar in Midtown East. Ceviche - raw fish marinated in citrus juice and spices - isn't yet as mainstream as sushi. Plus, Mitgang ended up launching the sliver of a space just as summer was ending. But that's fitting: Mitgang's mission is to take the Latin American ceviche beyond what we think of as a summers-only mix of shrimp, onions, chilies, herbs and lime juice. "With ceviche," says Mitgang, "there are so many ingredients to play with and so many curing ingredients, and I didn't feel like anyone was exploring them." Now he is. Tuna is "ceviche'd" - his term for the ingredient he uses to marinate or "cure" the dish - with watermelon juice and Chinese red vinegar. There's lump crab with grapefruit and Thai basil, lobster with Meyer lemon. Of course, he still makes that traditional shrimp ceviche, but instead of topping it with the traditional Peruvian crisped giant corn, he uses chili-spiked popcorn. Traditionally, the what's in the dish varies by what's available in regions of Peru, Ecuador or Mexico. Taking ceviche to the next level, Mitgang realized, was simple: use the best fresh, seasonal ingredients, then marinate them with any kind of acidic substance, like citrus juice or vinegar. At the end of his Kittichai shifts, says Mitgang, he would play around with ceviches, adding nontraditional ingredients like mint, blue cheese or Thai fish sauce, planning the restaurant in his head. "When you taste something you've never known before," says Mitgang, "I think you crave it." Ceviche tips from a modern master 1 Stay Fresh: Use the seafood and produce that's best or in season. Right now, corn, chilies and tomatoes, starring in the recipe here, are plentiful. 2 Pick Your Cure: Beyond lime juice, play around with vinegars or other fruits. Some have less acidity, so increase the marinating time. Seafood is "cooked" when its texture changes from soft to firm. Shrimp also take longer than fillets. 3 Garnish With Style: Peruvians serve ceviche with toasted giant corn, others use crispy plantains or saltines. Mitgang likes fresh herbs and chili popcorn.-NY Daily News Review: Enoteca at La Bellasera Hotel in Paso SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Just a few months ago, while most 21-year-olds were enrolling in classes or planning their next party, Brady Thomason was creating a menu for one of the North County’s most posh restaurants. The recent Culinary Institute of America graduate had been preparing to pursue a hospitality management degree from Cal Poly Pomona when the owners of La Bellasera Hotel & Suites offered him a position as head chef. Last week I visited Enoteca, La Bellasera’s 5-week-old restaurant, to sample the cuisine created by this 21-year-old wunderchef. Dishes with a twist The menu at Enoteca (Italian for wine library) includes a handful of appetizers and a petite but appealing list of entrees. Many are eclectic versions of well-known dishes such as the soft-shelled crab cocktail ($16) with avocado and caper-tarragon aioli, and the rock shrimp summer rolls ($14) with cilantro, mint and lemongrass dressing. I took my server’s recommendation and tried the heirloom tomato and Roquefort cheese salad ($9). The tomatoes were picked that afternoon at a farm down the road, I was told. The thick wedges of red-and yellow-speckled tomatoes, drizzled with a mild thyme-wine vinaigrette, were delicious. Sprinkled with bits of warm bacon and whole basil leaves, the salad was fresh, satisfying and an ideal creation for this late summer season. The cream of asparagus soup ($8) was a sage-green puree that engulfed a golf ball-sized clump of sweet garlic custard. Dipping my spoon slightly into the custard with each bite of the soup turned this simple dish into a tantalizing experience. The sweet-and- buttery custard nicely offset the salty tang of the soup. For entrees, I passed on the server’s recommendation of the coconut-encrusted halibut ($28) opting instead for the pan-seared American sea bass ($29) with a balsamic-pancetta sauce atop caramelized shallot potatoes. The fish, covered in the rich sauce, was flaky and flavorful. But while the slightly salty sauce was an inventive accompaniment to mild sea bass, it was a little heavy for my taste. It seemed as if it belonged with a rack of lamb or atop some kind of poultry. Even so, I liked the dish and certainly wasn’t unsatisfied, as you can sometimes feel after eating light seafood instead of richer meats. The pureed potatoes were delightful, served smooth and creamy with a touch of garlic. The filet mignon ($36) was an eclectic Southwest-ern- inspired dish topped with a chunky sauce of red peppers and corn. Thomason applied more spice than I’m used to on such a costly cut of beef, but the result was delicious. The filet was arranged artistically on a bed of cauliflower and potato tian, a dish reminiscent of thinly sliced scalloped potatoes. Don’t forget the wine With many of Enoteca’s customers visiting the area to experience the Central Coast’s exploding wine industry, the wine list is mostly filled with reputable Paso Robles wines, including both large and small winery labels plus a handful of excellent international wines. Prices varied from about $6 to $12 a glass, and $22 and up for bottles. If you want to try Chef Thomason’s summer menu, act quickly as the entrees won’t be offered much longer. The fall menu debuts in October and looks promising — just like the culinary skills of its young chef. - sanluisobispo.com Better Sushi through Science SAVANNAH, Georgia - The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography(SkIO), an independent arm of the state university system, hosts several different entities on its sprawling campus along the Skidaway River. While by far its most recognizable “tenant” is the University of Georgia Marine Extension Center, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, Savannah State and others have a research presence as well. A current research effort at SkIO involves the search for a solution to the crunch facing a popular area crop, the black sea bass. A staple item in many seafood and Asian restaurants, numbers of the fish are decreasing as demand for it increases. Enter Dick Lee, Skidaway Institute scientist. Lee and fellow staffer Karrie Brinkley have developed a non-polluting aquaculture system specifically designed to raise black sea bass for the fast-growing sushi market. “Black sea bass is a very popular fish here,” Lee says. “The minute black sea bass comes in at Russo Seafood, it’s gone. This has put quite a lot of pressure on this fish, to the point where the legal limit has been raised because of the demand for it.” Lee says the going rate for a two-pound black sea bass, providing 30-40 sashimi slices, is about $20, but that can easily double in the case of the sushi market overseas. In the SkIO project, the water in the long pens in which the bass are raised is recycled, with no pollutants being released into natural waterways — not the case with most fish farms, which increasingly are seen as part of the problem of overfishing rather than part of the solution. Another facet of the SkIO project is that it feeds the black sea bass a diet of juvenile tilapia, rather than the preformed food pellets used by most fish farms. SkIO also raises “aquaponic” produce, like cucumber and edible seaweed, with water from the black sea bass project. The sea bass and the aquaponic produce took part in a blind taste test last week, as invited guests gathered at SkIO’s Roebling House to give their input as to how well the project might fare with actual consumers. There was a clear taste difference between the three different plates of black sea bass sashimi, prepared by chef A.K. Tran of Sushi Time Towa: one sample was raised on the typical commercial food pellet diet, one sample was oceangoing wild sea bass caught locally, and one sample was raised at SkIO on the tilapia diet. The former was healthy and well-textured, but lacking any strong taste either way. The second was good, but had a strong aftertaste. The SkIO sushi had a distinctive tang that wasn’t unpleasant, but frankly might limit its mass market appeal. “We don’t necessarily see us getting involved in actually making money off of it, because that might conflict with our mission here,” Lee says. “But for example, if we could get something going down in McIntosh County — the poorest county in Georgia — and help create 40 or 50 new jobs there, that would be a great service we could provide to the area.” - connectsavannah.com <<<•>>>
Friday, September 14, 2007
Traffic Stop Nets Hot Fish EXPENSIVE PRESTON, Md. - A traffic stop helped crack an illegal commercial seafood operation and bring a charge against the business owner, Maryland Natural Resources Police said Wednesday. The NRP on Sunday charged 31-year-old Michael Shane Shockley of Preston with operating a commercial seafood business without a license. The charge resulted from an investigation launched after an August traffic stop involving a seafood truck with an expired registration plate, according to an NRP report. -- Delmarva Daily Times, Maryland Thailand Port Now Called "Hygienic"RASSADA, Thailand – Following recent renovations, Phuket Fishing Port is being hailed as a model for hygienic port operations and is set to become Thailand’s tuna export hub after successfully qualifying as the country’s first certified “hygienic” fishing port. Phuket Fishing Port serves about 20 fishing boat operators, with a total of about 200 vessels, and processes some 20,000 metric tons of seafood worth over a billion baht annually. Most of the fish processed at the port is tuna bound for Japan. -- Phuket Gazette, Thailand German Company Vows to Sell Sustainable GERMANY - Germany's leading direct sales company of frozen food and ice cream has said it plans to source as many of its seafood items as possible from fisheries that are certified to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard. The MSC blue eco-label marks six Alaska Pollock products in the new catalogue of bofrost. More than 80 fish products with the blue MSC eco-label are available in Germany to date. Deutsche See, Friedrichs, Frosta, iglo, Lidl, Metro and now bofrost have all added products with the blue logo to their range with the aim of contributing to supporting sustainable fishing practices. The MSC mark is the world’s leading eco-label for fisheries. To date, 23 fisheries worldwide are certified to the standard. A total of around 70 fisheries are engaged in the MSC program. The saithe fishery in Cuxhaven is the first German fishery to seek certification to the MSC standard. - FishUpdate.com Iceland Looks to Free Trade Deal with China REYKJAVIK , Iceland - Iceland, one of the world's largest fish producers, is moving closer to a free trade deal with China, one of the world's fastest growing consumers of seafood. Representatives of the Trade Council of Iceland and the Trade Development Bureau of the Ministry of Commerce in China have signed a three-year agreement on cooperation in furthering commerce and trade between the two countries. European fish processors are worried that the price of white fish, salmon and prawns could rise even higher than they are now if China becomes a fish buyer in a big way. The agreement was signed in Reykjavik on Monday by Zhang Chaomei, Deputy-Director of the Chinese Bureau, and Jon Asbergsson, Managing Director of the Trade Council of Iceland. The Trade Council is an organization that helps Icelandic companies to sell their products, services, and to gain know-how in the international marketplace. In April, China and Iceland started talks on a free trade agreement between the two countries in a move which both sides hope will lead to a full free trade deal later in the year. Wang Xinpei, spokesperson for the foreign ministry, said at the time that the first stage of the discussions includes negotiations on trade in goods, services and other sectors. “We hope the first round of talks will yield positive results through joint efforts from the two sides,” he said. He added that the proposed free trade agreement has a potential impact on bilateral economic and trade relations between Iceland and China. Gunnar Snorri Gunnarsson, Iceland’s ambassador to China, said in an interview with People’s Daily earlier this year that he expected the agreement to be comprehensive and to cover trade, services and investments. The worry for Europe is that if, as now seems almost certain, China does strike a tariff free deal with Iceland, it could lead to increased pressure on Iceland's strictly controlled fish supply. China has a population approaching 1.6 billion, but more significantly it has a huge and growing wealthy middle class with a taste for many things Western - and that includes seafood along with BMW cars. If they start buying Icelandic cod and haddock in significant quantities it will almost certainly push up prices even higher. The UK and the Humber markets in particular depend on Iceland for 70 per cent of its overall white fish supply and prices have risen sharply in the past 18 months. – FishUpdate.com |