New climate for prawn production Findus Group

NEW CLIMATE FOR PRAWN PRODUCTION

The Findus Group is one of Europe’s largest frozen food and seafood companies. It is an iconic brand that was founded in Sweden in 1905. In keeping with its tradition of providing healthy, natural frozen foods the company is pioneering ‘climate-grown’ tiger shrimps and prawns in its plant at Bjuv in Sweden, as Philip Yorke reports.

The Findus Group is a premium Nordic brand that brings together a leading frozen food business in Scandinavia, a major frozen and chilled seafood company in the UK and a fast-growing frozen food business in France. In the Nordics Findus is a revered brand that delivers premium frozen food across all major categories of fish, vegetables, meals and bakery products.

In the UK, Young’s Seafood Ltd is a clear brand leader and supplies most of the UK’s major retailers with private label, chilled seafood. In southern Europe, Findus is also a market leader in frozen foods and in France and Spain it leads in sales of frozen vegetables.

The company is proud of its record for responsible fish sourcing and vegetable growing, as well as for its care for the environment and promotion of a healthy diet. Today the Findus Group employs more than 6000 people and in 2013 recorded sales of over €1.5 billion.

Fresh-frozen products

Findus Sverige AB is a key part of the global Findus Group and along with other strategic Findus locations in Norway, France and Thailand, the Swedish operation is carefully developed to deliver a healthy range of frozen foods that include ready meals, vegetables and fish, as well as groceries, soup, pasta and mayonnaise. The healthy aspect of Findus’s frozen food products forms a major ingredient in its sales and marketing strategy, as fresh-frozen products can contain considerably more nutrients than poorly-kept fresh products, particularly vegetables.

All Findus fish is frozen on the boat the moment it is caught, thus keeping it in prime condition until it is cooked by the consumer. In addition, the Findus Group has a companywide programme called ‘Vision Zero’, which highlights its passion for no preservatives in its foods. The company says that freezing is such a natural way to preserve food there is no need to add anything at all to its products.

Climate-grown

Climate-grown tiger shrimps and prawns may soon become a reality at the Findus plant in Bjuv, Sweden. Recently Findus and Vega Fish of Sweden signed an agreement for a long-term cooperation. This joint-venture and the establishment of a new plant will make it the first of its kind in the world. The global supply of environmentally-friendly farmed tiger

prawns and scampi is currently very limited, thus making this a very exciting project for the companies involved and consumers alike. “At last consumers can get a really good environmentally-friendly option,” said Henrik Nyberg, director of business development at Findus.

At the Bjuv facility in Sweden, Findus will be responsible for the freezing, sales and marketing of the products under the brand name Findus. As the producer, Vegan Fish is currently starting a pilot plant for shrimp farming in Uppsala, Sweden where initially prawns will be cultivated. In the latter part of 2015, tiger prawns will be introduced and cultivated. What makes the planned shrimp farming project special is that the prawns are climate-grown and based on a closed, land-based system that uses waste heat for heating and prawns fed with sustainably produced feed with no chemicals or antibiotics involved.

“To cultivate in this way here in Sweden combines the best of both worlds. We use the most proven and sustainable systems, under strictly controlled conditions. Meanwhile we utilise waste heat and nutrients that would otherwise be lost,” said Matilde Osborne, CEO of Vega Fish.

Furthermore, Findus Sverige AB says that its unique cultivation process offers many other advantages, including minimal emissions and no risk of contamination from the surrounding environment.

Improving market

During the economic turndown Findus Sverige AB, along with many others, experienced challenging market conditions for its fish and vegetable sales at home and abroad. However, since the beginning of 2013 the company has seen a steady rise in its sales as it continues to highlight the nutrition and cost benefits of its frozen food products. Its on-going introduction of more one-portion meals and additional lighter frozen food selections has also made a difference. Findus is optimistic about its continued organic growth thanks in part to maintaining its unrivalled ‘pure good food’ promise. n

For further details of Findus freshfrozen products and services visit: www.findusgroup.com