US: Amid Russia chaos, strong Lent promotions are driving Alaska pollock block preference over surimi this year

Published Feb 22, 2024

Tridge summary

Alaska pollock producers are transitioning from surimi to block production due to the influx of cheap surimi from Russia in global markets, including Japan. This shift is driven by the growing popularity of deepskin, a cut that removes the pinbone and fat line, among key customers in the seafood industry such as McDonald's. While US pinbone-out pollock fillet block prices are under $4,000 per metric ton, deepskin blocks command higher prices.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

With Russia continuing to flood Japan and other key global markets with cheap surimi, Alaska pollock producers are foregoing production of the format, instead increasing block production to serve US quick-service (QSR) demand. US producers this year say they continue to see solid growth in deepskin -- a cut that removes the pinbone and the fat line -- used by the seafood industry's most valuable customers, including for McDonald's for its Filet-o-Fish sandwiches. ...

Source: Intrafish