Local seafood lovers seeking New Zealand salmon are being urged to ask for it by name following the arrival of a foreign imported species on supermarket shelves.
New Zealand salmon farmers have launched the #LoveNZsalmon campaign to educate consumers on the differences between locally farmed King salmon, and the imported Atlantic salmon products emerging in retail and food service settings.
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“For most Kiwis, there is only one type of salmon – and that’s the King salmon they’ve been cooking at home for decades,” said Aquaculture New Zealand CEO Gary Hooper.
“But now we are being asked to choose between locally farmed, fresh premium and sustainable King Salmon and imported Atlantic salmon products – yet it’s not always clear from labeling and packaging that they are very different species which offer different culinary properties and have different cooking and handling requirements.
“New Zealand salmon is the champagne of salmon. It’s prized for its purity, clean flavour profile, vibrant apricot flesh colour, higher oil content and pleasant silky bite that has top chefs around the world praising it as the best salmon they’ve ever eaten.”
“It’s important that consumers recognise that Atlantic salmon has different culinary properties and won’t perform the same as King salmon when cooking at home.
“Environmentally concerned consumers can also eat New Zealand salmon with a clear conscience, knowing that our industry is the only farmed salmon industry to have achieved a green light, best choice rating from the gold standard of sustainability guides, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch”.
“The message is very simple – if you want New Zealand salmon ask for it by name to avoid disappointment.”
