December 12, 2018

Canada looks to brand its seafood products in hopes of boosting sales

It's time Canada's seafood products got better known worldwide. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (FOC), or the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, therefore launched the Canadian Fish and Seafood Opportunities Fund (CFSOF) to promote and brand Canada's C$7-billion (US$5.23-billion) fish and seafood sector.

"Canada's fisheries sector has a great reputation in the global marketplace, but we have been too modest in our promotions," said Paul Lansbergen, president of the Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC), which lauded the FOC for launching the CFSOF. "The creation of this new fund will enable the sector to be more active in convincing the world to buy Canada's sustainably harvested fish and seafood."

FCC recently launched a national brand, Canadian Seafood, which takes a page from other agri-food groups in Canada, like beef, pork and dairy, which have successfully leveraged national branding to engage their customers. The strategy showcases the diversity of Canada's fish and seafood sector and offers the industry a way to highlight Canada's achievements.

"Canada's fisheries enjoy some incredible advantages that should have us positioned to win. We have a wide variety of high-quality harvested species in our waters, a rigorous food safety regime, top-notch labour standards, inclusive fisheries and collaboration with indigenous partners, and we are world leaders in third party certifications for sustainable fisheries practices," said Lansbergen.

"Our competitors are more active in promoting themselves. We need to step up our game. This programme will help us do exactly that."