Market & Retail News
East meets west
THE best of Scottish salmon and seafood was on show in June, when a Worldchefs mission from the East joined industry leaders for a food and drink journey through Scotland.
The week-long exchange of information, friendship and industry insights included representatives from the Singapore Chefs Association, the Hong Kong Chefs Association and the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
They were joined by the China Daily, China’s largest English language newspaper, which has a circulation of about 200,000, and Japan’s Yomuri Shimbun, often credited as the newspaper with the highest circulation in the world, at approximately 13.5 million.
The Eastern guests were joined on their visit by representatives and companies from the sea fisheries and aquaculture industry; the Federation of Chefs Scotland, Scotland Food and Drink, and Scottish Development International (SDI).
Ruth Ellis, food and drink specialist from Scottish Development International, based in Hong Kong, led the visitors on their tour.
She said: ‘Raising awareness of Scottish seafood across Asian markets is vital in helping us meet our target of £7.1 billion worth of food and drink exports worldwide by 2017.
‘There is no better way to do this than showcasing the natural product in its environment, letting these influential industry leaders see the care and attention our industry takes to ensure it is handled and produced in the very best way.
‘Seafood exports to Asia have risen steadily, going from just under £8 million in 2007 to a little over £54 million in 2014.
‘Through ongoing efforts to build contacts and sharing with them the value in our products we can continue to drive this forward.’
The visitors were treated to a selection of Scottish salmon and seafood from every sector of the industry. The tour was designed to emphasise the diversity of the industry with a wide variety of activities, including creel fishing and tours of mussel, oyster and salmon farms.