Thai Green Curry Mussels on short-list for award

An innovative new mussel product developed by the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group (SSMG) has been short-listed for a prestigious award, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group. 

Scottish Mussels Cooked in Thai Green Sauce - the first new flavour of a cooked mussel product launched into the multiple retailer sector for many years - has been short-listed as one of three finalists in the ‘Fish Ready Meal Category' of The Grocer Own Label Food & Drink Awards 2011. Developed by SSMG for Morrisons, the product features sustainable rope-grown mussels cultured in the cold clean seas of western Scotland and Shetland, producing a succulent, sweet tasting and natural product. Visually pleasing with contrasting colours and using only natural ‘store cupboard' ingredients such as coconut milk, lemon grass and chilli, it offers an authentic taste of the Far East with an enduring aroma of fresh spices, which is vividly portrayed on the packaging through imaginative photography and labelling. It represents excellent value for money serving two starters at only £1.38 per person. Stephen Cameron, managing director of SSMG, said: "We are delighted that Scottish Mussels Cooked in Thai Green Sauce, which we developed in partnership with Morrisons, has been short-listed for such a prestigious award. "We believe the product will help attract younger consumers into eating more seafood by introducing a new and imaginative flavour for mussels. Consumers are increasingly interested in the provenance of their food and are attracted by the fact that our rope-grown mussels are sustainably farmed with minimal environmental impact." Last year, rope-grown mussels produced by SSMG became the first farmed seafood in the UK to achieve the Friend of the Sea certification providing independent confirmation of the sustainability of its aquaculture operations. SSMG is also first in the UK to have successfully passed the pre-assessment phase for rope-grown mussels under the Marine Stewardship Council accreditation scheme. The winners of the Grocer Own Label Food & Drink Awards will be announced at a glittering ceremony on 11 May at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in Chelsea Harbour, London.