SeafoodSource is closely following seafood processing and equipment innovation by compiling a regular round-up of updates from the sector. If you have an announcement, please send it to [email protected].
- Thai Union recently opened a cold storage facility in Tema, Ghana, to expand storage capacity to 8,000 metric tons at its Pioneer Food Cannery (PFC) processing facility.
Thai Union said the new cold storage facility, located near its manufacturing plant, will help ensure it will have year-round temperature-controlled storage for Atlantic tuna. The new facility also represents a USD 14 million (EUR 12.9 million) investment in its Ghana operations.
“Our PFC factory plays a vital role for our brands across Europe and the U.S.,” Thai Union Group President and CEO Thiraphong Chansiri said in a release. “This investment will further improve our supply security and competitiveness serving our customers.”
Chansiri said the new investment inches the company closer toward delivering the goals outlined in its SeaChange 2030 plan. The company unveiled the sustainability initiative in July 2023, pledging to invest THB 6.9 billion (USD 190 million, EUR 175 million) to achieve 11 overarching objectives.
The new cold storage facility tackles multiple objectives in the SeaChange 2030 plan, including lowering emissions via the installation of solar panels, implementing measures to minimize waste going into landfills, reducing water discharge, and reducing food loss, Chansiri said.
Notably, the new facility replaces Thai Union’s previous storage strategy at the PFC facility in Ghana, which entailed using rented cold storage spaces that it said were “scattered across the city.” The new facility will centralize the facility’s cold storage needs, reducing the need for transportation.
“Thanks to our new cold store, we will cut traffic and CO2 emissions while ensuring we can produce throughout the year and independent of fluctuating fish supply,” PFC Plant Director Johnny Ladouce said. “We are committed to Ghana and the communities we operate in by providing both direct and indirect jobs here in Tema.”
Thai Union acquired the PFC facility in 2010, and it is now the company’s second-largest factory in Africa. The company manufactures products for its John West, Petit Navire, Mare Blue brands, and private-label customers in Europe.
- Thor Salmon, previously Thor Landeldi, broke ground on its smolt facility in Thorlakshofn, South Iceland, in early July.
The company eventually plants to build a land-based grow-out facility with a 5,000-metric-ton annual production capacity, and has a long-term goal of producing 20,000 MT of Atlantic salmon per year.
In a LinkedIn post, Thor Salmon said it is aiming to receive its first batch of eggs for its smolt facility in early 2025, with the first grow-out tanks ready by early 2026 and its first harvest expected by the end of 2026.
Thor Salmon also recently signed an agreement with Iceland fish-farming equipment-maker Trefjar for the production and installation of tanks and equipment for the smolt facility.
- Chile-headquartered salmon farmer Multi X and packaging technology company Bioelements have partnered to replace all of Multi X’s fresh fillet packaging with 100 percent biodegradable material.
Multi X said the new partnership is the result of a bidding process which will see Bioelements replace the bags it previously used for its fresh fillet products with new ones made with material that can biodegrade in a period of six to 20 months without the need for any composting.
Multi X Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Fernando Pérez said the company exports 42,000 whole-fish-equivalent tons of fresh fillets each year.
“This is why the incorporation of these new packaging materials will have a very positive impact on our production and on the environment, becoming a relevant milestone in our path toward carbon neutrality,” he said.
