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Prix d'Elite awards to Associate of SEAFOODplus

: Javier Canada and Jose Luis Hurtado proudly present one of the products winning an award

The exhibitors at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels 24 - 26 April 2007 competed for the prestigious Prix d'Elite. Three of the companies working with SEAFOODplus were honoured in the competition. The Associate of SEAFOODplus, Angulas Aguinaga, won two awards; one for the best retail product and one for originality. The partner of SEAFOODplus, Royal Greenland, had two finalist products. Further, a new Associate of SEAFOODplus, Rahbek, was also a finalist with two different products. These fine achievements indicates that seafood processors involved in research and development together with top scientists are successful in sales and marketing.

Author: Torger Børresen, DTU Aqua, Denmark

A Prix d'Elite award is considered a seafood oscar. All exhibitors may enter the competition with their products within categories such as the best retail product, the best foodservice product, the best convenience, the best nutrition and health, and the best originality. The top prize is considered to be the best retail product. This award was this year won by Angulas Aguinaga, the first company applying for being an Associate of SEAFOODplus. The company works together with project 4.4 CONSUMERPRODUCTS with the purpose of developing new products together with the project scientists. The company also obtained an award for originality with their surimi based product series.

When judging the products a jury considers the following features:

- 30 % for the taste profile, including flavour, texture, aroma and cooked appearance

- 10 % for packaging, including label information, environmental factors and food safety

- 15 % for market potential

- 15 % for the convenience value

- 10 % for the nutritional value

- 20 % for originality

Director Javier Canada from Angulas Aguinaga was happy that their products were winning two different prizes, among them the one considered the most prestgious. 'It is important for us to be in close contact with research to have success in innovation' says Mr. Canada.

Another Associate of SEAFOODplus, the Danish company Rahbek, was rated finalist with two different products. One of the products was a new development using Alaska Pollock.

The panel of judges consists of seafood buyers, chefs, marketing experts, nutritionists and consumer specialists. Their judgement involve consideration of originality, taste, convenience, packaging, nutritional aspects and market potential.

The seafood products may originate from saltwater and freshwater species of fish and shellfish. They may also contain sea vegetables, but no products may contain reptiles, amphibians or mammals. The producers must have introduced their products onto the European market within the previous 18 months in order to enter the competition. A brochure with all finalists is distributed to visitors at the Exposition, and all products are displayed in showcases.

It is important to emphasise that the products described here rests on merits solely belonging to the companies, and that the products have not been developed within any of the SEAFOODplus projects. 'But the fine achievements of the companies working with us at the SEAFOODplus project holds good promises for our collaboration', says Coordinator Torger Børresen. 'To me it demonstrates that processors having a policy of contributing to research and development are able to launch exciting new products to the consumers. In many cases this policy has been decided by company people having a background in research and they may have worked as scientists earlier. It is therefore important for us to educate more scientists to enter the seafood industry, where they make the communication between their company and the research society much easier'

The SEAFOODplus partner Royal Greenland was nominated as finalist with two of their products. One of these, the Prawn Burger, is shown below.