Anova seafood for ESE 2011 (Hall 6, Booth # 1023)

Single-packed frozen MSC cod and haddock, fresh ‘Fishing & Living' tuna loins, shrimps from Vietnam these are just a few of the new products and concepts that Anova Seafood will be presenting at the next ESE, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to ESE.

In a changing world in which major developments are taking place in relation to sustainability and seafood consumption in Europe, Anova is making every possible effort, in the form of new projects, to maintain its pivotal position in the seafood market.

The basis for this position is Anova's consistent efforts in providing sustainable seafood. "These efforts have won us considerable appreciation on the market", commented Constant Mulder, Managing Director of Anova. "Even in this crisis period, we opted to continue to further develop this strategy. Therein lies our strength, since sustainability is due to become even more important in the future. At the coming ESE, we will be presenting our CSR report for 2011, which will give greater insight into our mission and achievements. We want to show the market how we aim to further develop our leading position in sustainable seafood."

Anova is proud to present a number of new concepts at the ESE:

- Thanks to intensive cooperation with a cod and haddock fishery in the Barents Sea, Anova is now able to supply pre-rigor filleted MSC Atlantic cod and haddock, frozen at sea. This unique method of handling the fish quickly and efficiently results in a premium quality product. Retailers all over Europe have responded with enthusiasm to this project, and the Top 3 retailers in Germany and the Netherlands will soon be including these fish in their product range. These new varieties will also be included in the Anova-brand frozen bag range. Fillets will be available in 1 kg bags.

- The ‘Fishing & Living' project in Indonesia, whereby Anova is collaborating with WWF Indonesia in the development of sustainable tuna fishery, is now entering a new stage. From the company offices in Bali, Anova's tuna specialist, Bas Zaunbrecher, organises regular flights to Europe several times a week, carrying fresh tuna loins. These activities mean that in addition to the frozen ‘Fishing & Living' tuna, customers now also once again have the unique possibility of supplying fresh over-the-counter tuna.

- Also new in the assortment are vannamei and black tiger shrimps in a range of sizes and propositions. The first Anova shrimp container arrived in Europe in mid-January, and since that time several more containers of shrimps have left Vietnam, heading for Europe.

Alongside these new concepts, a number of existing projects and developments tie in excellently with demand expressed by a range of customers:

- Claresse, former winner of the ‘Prix d'Elite' prize, has seen an enormous boost in sales over the past year. This growth is not only due to the introduction of Claresse in the form of frozen fillet and as a smoked product, but also the increased knowledge of and appreciation for this species, among consumers.

- Thanks to close cooperation with a selected number of pangasius farmers, Anova was one of the first suppliers last year to introduce GLOBAL G.A.P.-certified pangasius. GLOBALG.A.P. & Trace, an even stricter farming programme that combines all the best aspects of the GLOBALG.A.P. standard and the special ‘Trace' farming programme, was developed specifically for customers in search of even more guarantees in terms of sustainability, traceability and food safety. As a result of this programme, Anova and its farmers are first in line to obtain ASC certification. In terms of product variety, the pangasius product portfolio has now been expanded to more than just natural fillets. Now there are loins, portions, cubes, marinated fillets and lightly dusted fillets; in other words a wide variety of ways to present this versatile species.

- The certified Naturland Lake Victoria perch, introduced in 2009, is now well-embedded in many different European markets. Anova and its privileged partner Vicfish have a strong belief that more and more consumers of fresh and frozen Lake Victoria perch will in the future make a carefully-considered choice for this certified fish.

-It goes without saying that all these positive initiatives have to be well managed and transformed into market concepts, in the best possible manner. Hendrik Colpaert, unit manager Marketing & Retail, explained, "We have undertaken a special seafood category analysis for many of our customers, specifying clearly how their category can be prepared in the best way to increase performance in terms of volume output, sustainability level and quality outcome, in line with market demand. This analysis has been a useful support for many of our retail and food service customers."