Food on the table #3 – Argh Billy – you ever taste High Liner Fish

With the price of fuel spiraling like lead-shot at a Dick Cheney hunting party, only the most oblivious among us have not figured out the impact this is having on food distribution.

Food riots.

It is amazing what people will do when they or their children are hungry.
Get used to hearing about it.

I heard something in passing about Canadian food legend, Captain High Liner.
They sell fish sticks… but that is not all.

Quite a few of their products are processed in China… flown all the way to China for filleting and then back to you… to feed you better.

Let’s here it from them directly: Link

WHY DO SO MANY HIGH LINER PRODUCTS SAY “PRODUCT OF CHINA” – WHY DOES SO MUCH HIGH LINER FISH COME FROM CHINA?

Very few of our products actually come from China. In fact, only 2 (Tilapia and Shrimp) out of 13 major seafood products sold by High Liner are from that country. All High Liner wild fish are caught in international waters where they are frozen within hours of being caught. The fish is shipped to China, where it is filleted (cut) and packaged. For filleting, the frozen fish are slightly “tempered” to allow the fish to be cut.

WHY ARE THE FISH NOT CAUGHT AND FILLETED IN CANADA?

  1. Chinese processors have built state-of-the-art processing facilities to meet the growing demand of the global market. This has given them a greater buying power that allows for better-priced seafood.
  2. High Liner uses China to cut some of our fish as it helps to keep our costs in line. This allows High Liner to provide competitively priced products to our consumers. Research has shown that we all want the highest quality products, yet at the best price possible.
  3. The majority of Canadian fish and seafood companies use China to process and/or fillet their fish.

Wow. Right. We want cheap fish! Yea.

As aviation fuel becomes liquid gold I am imagining that local fish processors might be getting more work… very soon.