As the end-of-year festivities approach, the cost of smoked salmon and trout will increase slightly. However, this will be much lower than that of December 2022, according to Fresh Catering Companies (ETF).
After a year 2022 marked by an increase in prices of around 10%, fresh catering companies (Aqualande, Delpeyrat, Labeyrie, etc.) announce that the increase in prices for the 2023 end-of-year celebrations will be “two times less strong”, according to Jacques Trottier, president of the ETF “smoked salmon and trout” group. During a press conference in Paris, Mr. Trottier specified that the 40 gram slice of smoked salmon should cost “between 5 and 10 cents more”.
The increase in prices is partly attributed to the rise in the price of salmon from Norway, where almost two-thirds of smoked salmon in France comes from. The cost of Norwegian salmon is currently higher than the same period last year. However, this price increase does not seem to cause major concern in the sector. Despite inflation and price increases in 2022, the festive meal has remained a special moment for consumers. In December 2022, salmon purchases increased by 8% in value, while trout sales increased by 2.2%, according to Mr. Trottier. Industry players remain confident about demand for smoked salmon and trout products, even with slightly higher prices.
In 2022, of the 52,500 tonnes of salmon imported by smoking workshops in France, the majority (61%) came from farms in Norway, followed by Scotland (26%). Around 2% came from Ireland for organic salmon, while wild salmon (7%) was imported frozen from Alaska. As for the trout smoked in France, which totals 18,300 tonnes, they come entirely from French aquaculture (100% farmed), of which 63% comes from national production, the remaining third being imported from other countries of the ‘European Union.
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Industry performance and sustainable resource management
According to ETF, the 30 French smoking companies, employing nearly 2,840 people, recorded growth in their turnover in 2022, with an increase of 8.8% compared to the previous year, reaching almost 776 million euros (613 million for salmon and 163 million for trout) . French workshops, responsible for the production of three quarters of the 40,600 tonnes of smoked salmonids consumed in France, increased their production by 3.8% in 2022.
ETF also highlighted the industry’s continued efforts towards sustainable management of marine resources. Advances in aquaculture have reduced the amount of wild fish needed to raise a kilogram of salmon, going from 4 kg of fish caught in the 1990s to less than 500 grams of wild fish meat Today.
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A fashionista at heart, Dora has always dreamed of writing for fashion. After having accomplished her dream and much more, she redirects herself towards current affairs, whether celebrity,…