Certification is a vital component to improving consumer trust in the seafood category, but Griffith Foods said oftentimes, ingredients added to seafood in secondary processing are not certified.
Sometimes that's just not possible, but Griffith Foods is dedicated to ensuring its ingredients are sustainably sourced, Griffith Foods Business Development Director Nicole Booth said at the 2024 Seafood Expo North America (SENA), which took place 10 to 12 March in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
The company, based in Alsip, Illinois, U.S.A., assists food firms with product development, specializing in custom coatings, seasonings, sauces, glazes, dressings, and other add-on ingredients to fit its partners' needs – whether that be developing distinct flavors, increasing the shelf life of a product, or enhancing nutritional value.
“Sustainability is a big focus for Griffith, as we want to leave the food industry in better shape than how we found it,” Booth told SeafoodSource.
Griffith’s MarketLink program connects global food producers with Griffith’s resources and expertise. In over 30 countries worldwide, innovators in the food industry can determine how, where, and why to sell in a particular market through careful analysis of regulations, taste preferences, and other criteria, Booth said.
Though it has largely operated in the poultry and meat sectors, which is fitting as the company was founded in Chicago’s Union Stockyards over 100 years ago, the company has recently gotten more involved in seafood, finding that its own emphasis on sustainability aligns well with the goals of many global seafood companies.
“I’ve seen the shift in seafood go from heavy coatings to more glazes and seasonings, as companies turn toward more nutritious products,” Booth said.
The company does not create finished products itself, but it promoted three new items developed by its sister company, Custom Culinary, at this year’s SENA. All three products – a garlic chili crunch seasoning, clam liquid stock concentrate, and buttery garlic flavor glaze – were a part of the SENA New Product Showcase, with the former product demoed during the expo’s first day.
“The ingredients in [the garlic chili crunch seasoning] are sustainable, the packaging is sustainable, and the label is sustainable,” Booth said. “You can only talk about a product so much, so it’s important for customers to actually taste it.”
Griffith is looking to continue making inroads in the seafood industry, and exhibited at SENA to establish new partnerships and show it is in the seafood industry for the long haul.
“We’re excited to open ourselves up to people who may not know us in the seafood industry,” Booth said. “Our current customers, on the other hand, have seen that we’ve really made an investment in seafood and, in turn, in them.”
