Christine Blank

Contributing Editor

Christine Blank, a veteran freelance writer and editor, covers all aspects of the seafood industry, from fishing to processing to selling and serving the final product. When she is not writing for SeafoodSource, Christine gets to taste scrumptious seafood dishes at U.S. restaurants for her food and travel blog, Flavorful Excursions (www.flavorfulexcursions.net). Christine loves to eat seafood of any kind, but lobster, crab and crawfish are among her favorites. In addition to SeafoodSource.com and SeaFood Business, Christine’s articles have been published in hundreds of leading magazines and newspapers, such as The New York Times, USA Today and Associated Press.

@EditorsWriters

@FlavorfulExcursions


Author Archive

Published on
November 27, 2023

Albertsons is rolling out an artificial intelligence platform chain-wide to reduce seafood shrink.

After a successful pilot project earlier this year, the Boise, Idaho, U.S.A.-based grocer is implementing AI technology from San Francisco, California, U.S.A.-based Afresh Technologies through the 2,200 grocery stores it operates under the Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Vons, and ACME banners.

The AI-powered predictive ordering solution for

Read More
Published on
November 22, 2023

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning that raw oysters distributed to restaurants and retailers in several U.S. states were illegally harvested and may be contaminated by pathogens.

On 17 November, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture/Bureau of Aquaculture informed the FDA of a recall of oysters illegally harvested from Milford Approved Area on 12 November and 15 November by certified dealer Seaview Fisheries, LLC, CT-084-SS, AQ.

Read More
Published on
November 22, 2023

Analysts and retailers are optimistic U.S. seafood sales will be solid this Thanksgiving holiday.

Ninety-one percent of U.S. consumers plan to celebrate Thanksgiving, while 5 percent are undecided, according to research firm Numerator, and more consumers – 61 percent versus 54 percent in 2022 – plan to cook this year.

Research firm Circana expects strong Thanksgiving grocery sales, as 79 percent of consumers say they and their

Read More
Published on
November 21, 2023

Red Lobster is upping the price of its Ultimate Endless Shrimp promotion after taking a significant financial hit.

The Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.-based operator of more than 700 restaurants globally, which is owned by Samut Sakhon, Thailand-headquartered seafood giant Thai Union, posted a loss of THB 395 million (USD 11.2 million, EUR 10.3 million) in Q3 2023 after a solid performance in Q2 2023.

In June 2023, the company announced it was

Read More
Published on
November 21, 2023

Bentonville, Arkansas, U.S.A.-based Walmart’s e-commerce and grocery sales soared in its fiscal Q3 2024.

Walmart’s e-commerce sales jumped up 24 percent compared to Q3 2023, and comparable store sales grew 4.9 percent at Walmart stores and 3.8 percent at Sam’s Club stores.

Walmart, which operates more than 4,600 stores and nearly 600 Sam’s Club stores in the U.S., said its strong quarter was led by sales of grocery and

Read More
Published on
November 20, 2023

The Caviar Co.’s recent partnership with Kellogg’s Pringles brand to sell each other’s products may seem like an unlikely pairing, but to Caviar Co. CEO and founder Petra Higby, a Pringle serves as a perfect plate for her company’s high-end products.

Potato chips are “actually a very common and popular accoutrement” to caviar, Higby said.

“It’s the ultimate high-low pairing,” she said.

Read More
Published on
November 20, 2023

An arbitration panel has awarded High Liner Foods an interim award of USD 15.5 million (EUR 14 million) in its lawsuit against Brian Wynn and Rubicon Resources.

High Liner Foods sued Wynn, the former owner of Rubicon Resources, in 2020 for making false representations and warranties in connection with the sale of Rubicon Resources to the Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada-based seafood firm. It alleged Wynn failed to disclose that Rubicon’s

Read More
Published on
November 20, 2023

Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based Ocean Beauty Seafoods is shaking up the U.S. retail market with four new wild salmon products for retail, along with one for foodservice. 

Headlining the new offerings is honey-cured smoked wild Alaskan sockeye nuggets under the supplier’s Echo Falls brand, which won first place in the retail category at the 2024 Alaska Symphony of Seafood competition on 13 November.

The nugget launch ties in

Read More
Published on
November 15, 2023

US Foods has acquired Fresno, California-based Saladino’s Foodservice – which supplies restaurants in California, Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon – a move that will bolster its growth as it and Sysco both report big sales and revenue spikes.

“We are excited to announce that we have signed a definitive agreement to acquire Saladino's Foodservice, our second tuck-in acquisition this year, and look forward to welcoming the

Read More
Published on
November 14, 2023

Overall food and seafood inflation is dropping, but U.S. shoppers are still buying less fresh and frozen seafood.

Sales of fresh and frozen species continued to fall in October 2023, while sales of shelf-stable products rose, according to Circana data analyzed by Lakeland, Florida, U.S.A.-based retail research firm 210 Analytics.

Seafood prices dropped 0.7 percent for the month, driven by a decline in fresh shellfish prices, which dropped 8.7

Read More