STAG NEWS BITES is produced for Australian Seafood Exporters, containing important updates and informal translations of news from Asian media sources. Any information provided as part of this trade news service is general in nature. Before acting on any information provided, you should consider its appropriateness to your circumstances and business objectives.

S T A G N E W S B I T E S

Chinese Media

Below are four articles translated from Chinese media that focus on consumption trends in relation to seafood imports and exports.

Note: If foreign articles are opened in Chrome, they can be automatically translated

Consumers reluctant to eat fresh, imported seafood due to ongoing COVID detections (Chinese)

Seafood markets across China have come under official scrutiny as potential COVID hotspots, while Chinese consumers are avoiding certain types of seafood, particularly imported and fresh seafood for fear of contamination.

“A person familiar with the matter said that although importers have tried to convince consumers that their seafood is safe through various documents and traceability systems, consumers are still too cautious and even worried about ordering imported seafood.” See the full article in Chinese here.

Imported fresh salmon and tuna, the staple of Japanese sashimi cuisine, tops the list of risky foods in the minds of consumers, hitting Japanese restaurants hard: “...almost all consumers also told reporters that they "will not try seafood sashimi in the near future." Learn more here (in Chinese).

Lobster, abalone, and tuna: Australia’s three treasures (Chinese)

Re-published article from earlier this year contrasting the fortunes of Australian premium seafood export categories in 2020: Lobster, abalone, tuna (the three treasures), and salmon (the dark horse).

Rock lobster and abalone have relied on the China market. But with lobster exports blocked, abalone has benefitted: “Compared with lobster, Australia’s abalone business is not that big, but as a hard currency in China’s high-end seafood market, coupled with the effective recovery of China’s high-end seafood market, Australian abalone has actually ushered in a wave of growth in the Chinese market price.”

Australia’s domestically-focused salmon industry struggled during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns but found a new market in China: exports grew by almost 300% in the first three quarters of 2020, and Australia became China’s second-largest source of imported salmon. Read the full article here in Chinese.

Consumer education and comparison on lobsters (Chinese)

A Chinese website lists describes, and compares the varieties of lobster available to Chinese consumers. The verdict on Australian rock lobster? Not as tasty as the local species, but cheaper. Read the list here in Chinese.

Chongqing city starts construction of ‘smart’ cold chain industrial park (Chinese)

The new facility aims to strengthen cold chains for imported fresh seafood and other premium foods in China’s southwest region. Chongqing alone is a city of some 30 million. But it is also an ideal hub for accessing consumers across southwest and central China.

The 1 billion RMB industrial zone will support cold chain import trade and domestic sales, smart warehousing, smart cold chain, smart meals, food processing, and central value-added services such as kitchens, urban distribution, and supply chain finance. It will eventually include an international smart logistics center, a food processing center, and a western regional supply chain operation center.

The project is due to be completed by the end of 2022. Learn more here in Chinese.

‘Broken-leg lobster incident’ draws attention to premium seafood substitution in Chinese food service industry (Chinese)

A Chinese woman bought an expensive live lobster at the market and took it to a local restaurant to prepare for her. Before giving it to the chef, she broke off two legs so she would recognise the finished product as the same one she bought. Miraculously, when the lobster was served, not only had it grown in size overall, its two missing legs had re-appeared!

This incident in China’s west has been discussed widely online in China over the last week, drawing attention to the problem of food substitution and the unscrupulousness of merchants. Consumers are advised to be vigilant, while many have praised the clever tactics deployed by the woman to safeguard her purchase against fraud.

“I came out to eat to relax. Instead I’m forced to match wits with the restaurant to prevent fraud and defend my rights. This is exhausting!”

O T H E R M A R K E T N E W S

China’s seafood demand could triple, researchers predict

China’s requirements for seafood imports could rise as high as 18 million metric tons per year by 2030, according to a report published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Australian exporters might be well-placed to take advantage of this growth: ‘Consumer notions of high-quality and safe seafood generally include wild (as opposed to farmed), marine (as opposed to freshwater), and imported (as opposed to domestically produced) seafood, particularly from countries considered to have “clean” waters, such as Australia, Norway, and North America.’

The full research is available here.

Seafoodsource.com has an interview with the authors of the report here.

Image: Unsplash

Rising regional COVID cases affect the foodservice sector

A number of East Asian markets are experiencing a new COVID-19 surge, including Singapore, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

Singapore has entered lockdown from May 16 to June 13. In this period, gathering sizes as well as household visitors will be cut to a maximum of two people, working from home will be the default and food service venues can only do takeaways and deliveries. The economic impact of the lockdown is being felt, especially in the food and beverage sector.

Vietnam has expanded its lockdown amid record cases. The capital Hanoi shut down restaurants and banned gatherings at public areas on Tuesday 25 May. Taiwan has not entered lockdown, but residents are advised to self-isolate and maintain vigilance. Japan continues to struggle with the virus, extending its COVID-19 state of emergency and experiencing GDP contraction.

Image: Unsplash

US seafood per capita consumption sets record

A new publication by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says US per capita seafood consumption in 2019 hit 19.2 pounds per person, up from 19 pounds per person in 2018.

“For 2019, per capita consumption of fresh and frozen products was 15 pounds, with fresh and frozen finfish accounting for 9 pounds, while fresh and frozen shellfish consumption was 6 pounds per capita.”

“From a trade perspective, the 2019 trade deficit was reported at USD 16.9 billion, up roughly USD 100 million from 2018.” Read the full news article here.

A related study by the National Fisheries Institute lists the top 10 seafood species Americans consume most. Shrimp, salmon, and canned tuna take out the top three.

With seafood consumption in the USA strong, e-commerce is a particular bright spot: ‘There is a sudden rise in consumer demand for authentic, specialty, nutrition-specific, personalized goods.’

Image: Unsplash

Analyst says China not meeting US seafood purchase commitments under trade agreement

Source: Seafoodsource.com

A range of factors have contributed to the poorer than expected trade results, including COVID-19, high tariffs on US imports, a weaker RMB, and lower catches of certain exported species, such as California loligo squid.

Image: Unsplash

Our New STAG Editor for Newsletters

This is just a quick note to say hello!

My name is Andrew Robertson and I will be supporting the STAG secretariat as editor of the two regular newsletters: News Bites and Trade and Market Access News.

My background is in industry diplomacy: first as an Australian official and diplomat; and then as an industry trade representative. I look forward to bridging the gap between industry trade priorities and government regulation and policy for the seafood export sector. My goal is to keep members informed of new developments in the seafood export space, especially as challenges continue to mount.

If you would like to get in touch with any feedback or suggestions, please “drop me a line” (as they say!): andrew.robertson.4567@gmail.com

www.seafoodtradeadvisory.com

STAG News Bites is a resource for Australian seafood exporters, currently funded by the Abalone Council Australia Ltd, Southern Rocklobster Ltd, Australian Abalone Growers Association, Western Rocklobster Council and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. We acknowledge past funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, through the Package Assisting Small Exporters.

This STAG publication contains informal translation of foreign and Asian media. Any information provided as part of this trade news service is general in nature. Before acting on any information provided, you should consider its appropriateness to your circumstances and business objectives.