produits de la mer - n°192 - Mai 2019 - 74

Actu ❘ ON DAY-TO-DAY ❘ L'INNOVATION

Casino: less salt in prawns

Finding the right formula was really
arduous."

ÉTIENNE BALAŸ
SEAFOOD PRODUCT MANAGER
FOR THE CASINO GROUP
Casino launched itself into the challenge of
distinguishing itself with a less salted recipe. In
doing so, the chain store is in line with the changing expectations of consumers who are always
looking for healthier products. "Salt is one of the
main flavour enhancer in prawns and is very poorly
controlled, nobody has ever questioned that,"
explains Étienne Balaÿ, seafood product manager for the Casino group, who initiated the project. "Companies generally progress in stages. We
wanted to go further by precisely controlling the

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PRODUITS DE LA MER N°192 MAI 2019

Guillaume JORIS

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[ Project overview]
Concept

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Casino started from the
observation that consumers
often found cooked prawns
too salty and decided to start
producing a low-salt product.
The objective was to reach the
symbolic level of 25% less salt
than the market average.

R&D
It took the company nearly two
years to complete the project.
Research focused on sourcing
prawns bred in naturally less
salty waters in South America.
To remove salt when freezing,
Rose is not immersed in brine.
The most important part of
the process remains cooking.
Casino was keen to keep the
same texture and organoleptic
qualities as those of prawns
with a higher salt content. It
took six months to find a recipe
which would meet the criterion
of minus 25% salt.

Marketing
Rose has been available in
France in more than 450 Casino
retail outlets since the 28th of
January as whole or shelled
prawns.

The offer of prawn in supermarkets is constantly on
the increase in all forms: raw, cooked, peeled, marinated... A large choice which confuses the consumer and makes it difficult for brands to stand out.
The ASC, Label Rouge and organic products are all
over the shelves, leaving little room for new products.

supply of salt throughout the production line."
Once the idea had emerged, the name - Rose -,
the concept of the packaging and the product
range followed in just a few hours. All that remained was to put it into practice.
To meet this challenge, the seafood product manager went to South America in search of prawn farmed in naturally low-salt waters. If it was a good
start, this was not sufficient to reach a salt reduction of 25% which was Rose's goal. Casino therefore decided to deep-freeze its prawns without brine,
thus eliminating the addition of salt induced by that
stage. But the hardest part remained to be done.
"It took us six months to persuade a supplier to
dedicate a special line for cooking our product,"
admits Étienne Balaÿ. "They had to agree to invest
for a concept which was not theirs and, above all,
to exchange ideas with us to find the right mix
and perfectly control the salt content." A long-term
task. Casino finally found a partner in Lorient, with
whom they worked to develop the recipe for more
than a year. The last six months of product development were spent working on taste. "We want it to
remain a purchase pleasure so it is out of the question to reduce in any way the organoleptic qualities
of the product," asserts the manager. "Finding the
right formula was really arduous as reducing the
salt too much also affects the texture, the product
appears drier. Everyone can remove salt from their
recipe, control the process so that the product displays the same quality while being healthier. But
this requires a lot of research."
Casino managed to do it and in more than
450 Casino stores, since the 28th of January, they
offer a prawn with 25% less salt than the market average, i.e 1 gram of salt per 100 grams of
finished product, compared with an average of
1.35 gram. According to Étienne Balaÿ, it is nearly
impossible to further reduce the salt content without degrading the taste of prawn. The supermarket has signed an exclusivity agreement with its
partner for two years.
For the moment, two products are included in
this range: peeled prawns available at a price of
5.95 euros per 150 grams and whole prawns sold as
loose goods at a price of 9.95 euros/kg or in trays at
4.95 euros per 300 grams. "The first feedback from
customers is positive. A successful launch is important in order to convince and retain as many consumers as possible." Casino plans to continue developing this type of product if the launch of Rose is
successful and to expand the range once the market
has assimilated the product.

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As part of its overall strategy
to improve the nutritional properties
of its products, Casino now markets
a cooked prawn with a reduced
salt content.

produits de la mer - n°192 - Mai 2019

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