produits de la mer - n°192 - Mai 2019 - 28

News ❘ IN-DEPTH

Too much additives in breaded fish
The consumer association CLCV denounces
the quality of breaded fish in a survey. But in
such a competitive market, manufacturers are
juggling with ingredients to drive prices down.

hether refrigerated or frozen, classic or "meunière", in nuggets
or fish & chips, breaded fish is loaded
with additives, flavours, salt or added
sugar, deplores the CLCV (Consumption,
Housing and Living Environment) in its
latest survey. The consumer association,
which sampled 42 private labels and
national branded products in eight chain
stores, also denounced differences in fish
portions, uneven nutritional quality and
incomplete labelling. As it is not mandatory to indicate the origin and fishing
equipment, this piece of information rarely
appears on the packaging.
On the additive side, 52% of the sample contains modified starch, acidity regulator, preservatives, colouring agents
and antioxidants. Flavours appear in
21% of products and added sugar in
38%. Thus, some fillets of northern
dab and Cape hake prepared with the
"meunière" recipe combine about ten
additives and flavours.

Surveyed
by the CLFC
◗ Top mark
The breaded cod fillets
of the Odyssée and
Carrefour trademarks,
classified Nutri-Score A,
without additives,
added sugar or
flavours, 65% MSC
cod.
◗ Less good
Findus, Odyssée and
Auchan have some
of the lowest fish
content levels (40 or
50 grams), use flesh
and include additives.

C.A.

Industrial
breaded
fish line.

Although the fish content varies from
35 to 80% from one breaded fish to
another, the CLCV notes that the percentage mentioned in the list of ingredients is explicit. On average, recipes include
63.2% fish and this is better than in 2016
(56.6%). Nonetheless, children's products
contain on average less fish (59%), less fillet but more flesh. Croquettes, in particular, contain less fish than non-children targeted "meunière" fillets.
The youngsters are also disadvantaged
with breaded fish of poorer nutritional
quality. "On average, the products have
10% more calories, a 14% higher fat-con-

tent and a 17% higher salt-content than
non-targeted products," the association
points out. In addition, if only two products
display the Nutri-Score, CLFC calculations
indicate 9% C references, which are low,
compared to 43% A references and 48%
B references. As a matter of course, four
C-referenced breaded fish are too salty.
The advantage of frozen fish over fresh
fish is that extreme cold mainly avoids
the use of additives, added sugar and flavours: 83% of the "without" products in
the selection are frozen. This is stating the
obvious would say some people: why put
a preservative in a frozen product?

[ The professionals' view ]
Laurent Froget,
Davigel-Sysco marketing manager and sustainable
development coordinator
"In supermarkets as in outside catering, the market is very competitive
and there are many tricks to lower the price of breaded fish.
The study of the CLCV does not analyse the raw material in detail
although it is essential. Regarding flesh, it can be a simple pulp
or a moulded minced meat made of both pulp and fillet which will
add texture. That said, the price difference between Alaskan hake
fillet block and Alaskan hake flesh varies from 1.5 for flesh
to 3 euros/kg for fillet. It must also be specified whether it is single
or double-frozen fillet. The percentage of fish, flesh or fillet, obviously
matters. Knowing that manufacturers can include squid, potato flakes
or soya protein in the mix to compensate for a lower fish content.
But in the case of low-end breaded fish, the producer only makes
a margin of a few cents per kilo."

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PRODUITS DE LA MER N°192 MAI 2019

Patrick Barinet,
general manager of Greenland Seafood Europe
"Stigmatizing breaded fish with a simplistic survey bothers
me. All products are considered the same - croquettes,
moulded, natural fillets - and placed in the "washing
machine"! Take the starch, which is necessary to make
the breadcrumbs, there are some in bread, in croissants,
it doesn't shock anyone but for breaded fish, it's wrong.
And then, the association ignores the fierce competition
in which we fight for a quarter of a cent. It also ignores
qualities which correspond to a price: entry-level, standard
and premium. Finally, comparing products intended for
children with adult targets is questionable because tastes
are not necessarily the same according to age. Some
recipes may be more appropriate for children, such as no
bones or easy to chew.

produits de la mer - n°192 - Mai 2019

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