2008 European Seafood Exposition: here's what's in store at annual event: ESE joins forces with Seafood Processing Europe to offer industry one-stop shopping for products and processing equipment. And once again, innovative processors and marketers will compete head-on for coveted Seafood Prix D'Elite awards.

The system can treat fish fillets (cod, pollock, herring), fish with no guts and no head, squid, cuttlefish, octopus, shrimps, scallop, crab meat, whole fishes (salmon, pike, mackerel, herring, perch) and vegetables. Tunnel capacity varies between 600 and 2,000 kilograms per hour according to the product and the required final temperature.

Phillips Bringing Crab Treats to ESE in Value-Added Launches

Crab is at the very top of the menu for Phillips Foods Europe (www.phillipsfoodseurope.com), which is launching two new value-added product lines that are billed as "promising a premium experience for the diner and an excellent opportunity to increase margins for the foodservice sector."

Phillips Crab Delice, the first item, is prime crab meat, blended with a savory base including sour cream and cream cheese plus lime juice, herbs and seasoning which is then flash-frozen to lock in the flavors. No further preparation is required in the kitchen other than defrosting, which means that with any of Phillips' Delice products, chefs can put a new twist on existing menus and tap into the premium quality of crab to improve margins. The product is highly versatile and can be used hot or cold as a dip, canape topping or sandwich filling, or as a stuffing for vegetables, meat and fish dishes. It also provides a sauce base, dressing or topping for main dishes.

There are three varieties:

* Crab Delice Claw: Blue swimming crab claw meat adds an extra layer of flavor to this crab delice, enhancing the smooth, rich base sauce, which includes cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise and lime juice.

* Crab Delice Special: A creamy combination of premium all-white crab meat in a smooth, savory base, which includes cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and hot sauce.

* Crab Delice Mediterranean: Claw crab meat, semi-dried tomatoes and basil join cardamom, thyme, oregano and seafood seasoning in Phillips Foods' original delice base containing cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice and seasonings.

The second product line to be debuted at the ESE is premium crab and fish cakes. Suitable as a starter, main course or accompaniment to a main dish, the blue swimming crab, king crab and Atlantic salmon cakes all have very high meat content.

They feature up to 60% prime chunks of white crab meat or fish with just enough sauce and additional flavorful ingredients to bind the cake together. The range is designed to deliver an enjoyable taste experience with labor-free preparation. It takes just 12 to 14 minutes in the oven to make a quality seafood dish with a healthy margin potential delivered with minimal effort in the kitchen.

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Dutch B.V. Kennemervis Group Acquires Superfluous Divisions from Urk's Baarssen

B.V. Kermemervis Group, Spakenburg, the Netherlands, has agreed to take over two divisions of Urk-headquartered Baarssen--Baarssen Retail Vers and the added-value activities of Baarssen Fish International.

Kennemervis, with 15 businesses in Western Europe, processes, sells, and distributes frozen and other processed fish and fish products for speciality fish shops, supermarkets, hotels, restaurants and catering establishments, wholesale markets and the institutional sector.

Having divested the two divisions to Kennemervis, Baarssen intends to focus upon its core activity, which is the primary processing and sale of flatfish fillets. In order to strengthen its position in the marketplace, the company now sees a need to focus activities more intensively on that particular division.

Baarssen is one of the largest fish processing companies in the Netherlands, and more than half of its total sales are derived from the processing of flatfish for a variety of export markets in Europe. Its Retail Vers division supplies pre-packed fish to supermarkets in the Netherlands, and this area of activity has seen a substantial increase since it began 1999. During the past few years, the company has also tried to develop a market for value-added frozen products.

Kennemervis also recently announced the merger of three of its subsidiaries: Gravis B.V (Spakenburg and Urk), Gebr. Muys B.V. (Spakenburg and Klazienaveen) and Eldoro B.V. (Enschede).

For the time being, all existing trade names under which business used to be conducted will continue to exist. These trade names are Gravis, Muys, Fisherman Seafood and Eldoro.

Casting an Internet Fish Net For Global Seafood Industry

Looking for fish? Fish The Net Ltd (www.fishthenet.net) is an internet directory devoted exclusively to bringing seafood and fish industry buyers and sellers together.

Buyers can access more than 2,000 companies worldwide for free. Suppliers can promote their products and services within a number of categories, including Seafood, Logistics, Cold Storage, Processing, Refrigeration/Freezing and Packaging.

Visitors to the UK-based website can get 10% off before May 31, 2008.

Close to the FoodVest: Young's and Findus Under One Roof

Findus and Young's, two giants in the United Kingdom fish processing industry, have been merged to become what is reportedly the biggest seafood operation in Europe, with annual sales of 1.1 [pounds sterling] billion. But the name chosen for the combined entity that made its debut Feb. 1--FoodVest Group--doesn't give a hint as to its origins.

The consolidation was accompanied by promotional support, with new commercials for the Young's Great Grimsby range on TV and billboards across the country. The range include products like Grimsby Five Fish Pie and what are said to be the world's first fish fingers to be made from sustainable cod.

Per Harkjaer was named chief executive officer, taking full executive responsibility for all parts of the group. A Danish national, he came to the position with almost 25 years experience in the food industry including senior roles at Mars, Unigate (now Uniq) and two Scandinavian companies--the Toms Confectionery Group and Findus.

Findus UK, which closed its seafood plant at Grimsby in 1983, remains a separate entity. But London equity firm CapVest, which acquired Young's in 2002, bought out Findus AB operations in northern Europe and Scandinavia, which include seafood, in 2006. Despite the merger of the two CapVest units, Young's activities in the UK will operate as two segments.

Young's Seafood will concentrate on development of branded frozen and chilled seafood, while The Seafood Company--which was acquired by Young's last fall--will focus on providing chilled seafood under the retailer's own brands. Young's will operate from the premises on Humberstone Road and South Quay in Grimsby, while The Seafood Company will work from Marsden Road, also in Grimsby.

According to a Young's spokesman, the strategy of FoodVest is "to continue to lead consolidation in the European food sector, while being at the forefront of product development and responsible food policies. "It intends to be a world leader in responsible seafood sourcing and good environmental practice," he said.

Young's and FoodVest assured that there will be no factory closures, and job numbers will not change. Young's employs 2,000 people in Grimsby.