Call for products to compete in Alaska Symphony of Seafood issued

The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation (AFDF) has issued a call for products for the organization’s 2020-2021 Alaska Symphony of Seafood program.

The program has been hosted since 1994 and allows Alaskan value-added seafood products to compete against each other which “encourages companies to invest in product development, helps them promote those new products and competitively positions Alaska Seafood in national and global markets.”

Last year’s most-talked-about entry was Bullwhip Hot Sauce by Barnacle Foods, which paired Alaskan bullwhip kelp with piri piri peppers, garlic, and tomatoes to create its sauce. The product took home three prizes: Retail category, Juneau People’s Choice, and Grand Prize.

Other winners included High Liner Foods’ Alaska Wild Wings, which took first place in the foodservice category; and WILD by Nature’s Alaskan Fish Skin Jewelry, which took first place in the beyond the plate category.

This year will see the AFDF expanding the program in order to help boost the state’s seafood industry. The 2020-21 season will begin to expand the product categories as well and this year will see the inclusion of a salmon and whitefish product category for the first time.

Winners from each of the categories, as well as special awards and the grand prize winner, will receive space at Seafood Expo North America in Boston, free entry into the new Seafood Excellence Awards at the expo, and airfare to and from the expo, sponsored by Alaska Air.

The entry deadline is 6 October, 2020, and more information, as well as a full call for products, is available on the AFDF website.

The program is fully funded by industry members and supporters including the Marine Stewardship Council, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, and Trident Seafoods. This year, the Symphony of Seafood is newly sponsored by the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association. BBRSDA agreed to a three-year partnership with the program, “recognizing the value of the Symphony to the vision that diversified markets and innovative products are imperative to the ex-vessel value of the fishery.”

Image courtesy of the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation