Tomorrow, Matís will open a major project from the framework of the 8th European Framework Program for Research and Development (Horizon 2020). The project is about the production of seafood and how to improve the competitiveness of fisheries companies in the international market. It is managed by dr. Guðmundur Stefánsson, director of Matís and Horizon 2020's grant for the project is around ISK 750 million. The project is the third in a few years that Matís manages in the field of the value chain of seafood within Europe (EcoFishMan and MareFrame).
The competitiveness of many European fisheries and aquaculture companies has declined sharply in recent years, and growth in the continent's fisheries sector has been limited. PrimeFish's goal is to identify the main reasons and come up with proposals for improvements that promote increased innovation and competitiveness and encourage growth within the industry.
Do consumers buy fish solely on the basis of price and not on quality, uniqueness or traceability?
The quality of fish products is high in Europe, as consumers in most countries on the continent make high demands when it comes to seafood. The special position of European fisheries and aquaculture is also great, but despite this, many European seafood producers have been hit hard in recent months, not least when it comes to competition for cheaper whitefish species from Asia. Consumers may not understand the quality and uniqueness of European production, but it may also be that producers do not provide this information in a sufficiently clear way or that the influence of European consumers prevails.
How can seafood producers best communicate their message to European consumers?
Constant instability
Prices and supply of seafood on the European market have fluctuated considerably recently. years and has undermined the stability of companies' operations. A changing regulatory environment affects competitiveness and can make it difficult for companies to meet consumer demands and expectations. The examples prove that the marketing of many new seafood products has failed recently. years. Do manufacturers not understand consumers or are there other reasons? Such questions are among the issues that the Primefish project will address.
More about PrimeFish
PrimeFish is a four-year project involving companies, research institutes and universities. These include Kontali, Syntesa, INRA, Nofima, the University of Iceland, Aalborg, Parma, Stirling, Pavia, Nha Trang University in Vietnam and Memorial University in Canada. A considerable number of stakeholders, such as fisheries companies, also take part in the project.
For further information Guðmundur Stefánsson project manager PrimeFish.