Fish Demand Rises Amid COVID-19 Fears, Food Quality Remains Key

The fear of “Mad Cow Disease” is rampant, and customers are becoming increasingly scarce in butchers’ shops. Faced with such a situation, it’s easy to think that the average consumer’s attention turns to other products, such as fish.

“The increase in demand for fish has been,” explains Roberto Grossi, head of Mandelli fishing farms, European leaders in the sector, “although it varies depending on the region.”

In the Triveneto region, the increase was 15-20 percent, while in Germany, which among all European countries accounts for the largest share of our market, demand saw a rise of 10-15 percent. Many have observed that along with increased demand, the price of fish has also gone up…

Prices and causes of the increase

“Prices have risen, that’s true,” explains Grossi, “but this would have happened regardless. I can assure you there is no speculation: months ago, some large producers gathered to discuss the rising costs of feed, closely linked to the dollar’s valuation, and decided to adjust their prices. That’s all: it has nothing to do with the meat crisis, therefore.”

By the way, what type of feed is usually used in fish farms? “Nowadays, especially from large retail chains, we are asked to provide declarations guaranteeing that no meat meal is used.”

For us, this is not a problem: a few years ago, we made significant investments, and for some time now, our policy has focused on the quality and genuineness of the product. Our company is quite large, and it encompasses the entire production cycle:

In our trout farms, we oversee every phase of the breeding process, from feed preparation (our group also includes a feed mill), to the selection of broodstock and genetic research. Everything is guaranteed, in short.”