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.

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Author Archive

Published on
February 16, 2024

A variety of seafood from Alaska – especially pollock – is heavily featured in U.S. restaurant chains’ limited-time offers during the Lenten season, which began 14 February and runs through 28 March.

Among the numerous nationwide seafood meals available for Lent is a pollock fish sandwich from Jack in the Box, Alaska flounder fish tacos from Taco John’s, an Alaska flounder fish sandwich from Popeye’s, a pollock fish

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Published on
February 14, 2024

Coinciding with the start of Lent on 14 February, numerous U.S. restaurant chains are rolling limited-time offers featuring lobster, shrimp, and cod.

One of the biggest U.S. seafood restaurant chains, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.-based Red Lobster, is bringing back its popular Lobsterfest promotion and adding several new shrimp and lobster dishes to its menu, including Lobster Lover’s Dream featuring twin North American lobster tails and

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Published on
February 13, 2024

Inflation on seafood prices at U.S. retailers continued to ease to start the new year, but that did not lead to increased sales of seafood, as fresh and frozen seafood sales and volume dipped in January.

Frozen seafood prices declined 6.6 percent to USD 7.32 (EUR 6.80) per pound on average year over year, according to new Circana data analyzed by 210 Analytics. Fresh seafood prices dropped 3.6 percent year over year to an average price of USD

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Published on
February 13, 2024

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is planning to purchase 15.2 million pounds of Alaska pollock, along with 173,000 cases of canned salmon.

The USDA is asking suppliers to bid on 7.6 million pounds of frozen pollock fish sticks and 7.6 million pounds of frozen pollock fillets. Bids are due by 22 February.

If the USDA fulfills all its new contract requests, it would be the third-largest single award the USDA has filed in its history, the Genuine

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Published on
February 13, 2024

Quick service restaurant (QSR) operators are looking to expand their seafood offerings beyond fried fish sandwiches, with an aim of implementing healthier dishes featuring salmon, shrimp, and other seafood onto their menus, according to restaurant industry experts speaking at the 2024 Global Seafood Marketing Conference (GSMC), which took place in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. from 23 to 25 January.

“In today’s world, at lunch, you sell a

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Published on
February 12, 2024

U.S. retailers and restaurateurs are expecting high upcoming seafood sales as the 40-day Lenten season kicks off the same day as Valentine’s Day on 14 February.

“There is normally a bump for seafood on Valentine’s Day, but with Lent on top of that, it should be a banner week for seafood,” Jason Resner, the meat and seafood sales, merchandising, and procurement lead for Downers Grove, Illinois, U.S.A.-based retailer Fresh

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Published on
February 9, 2024

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) has forecasted restaurant sales to exceed USD 1.1 trillion (EUR 1 trillion) in 2024.

Nearly eight in 10 restaurant operators anticipate their sales will either increase (33 percent) or at least hold steady (45 percent) compared to last year, according to the NRA’s “2024 State of the Restaurant Industry Report.”

However, 97 percent of restaurant operators say they are still struggling

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Published on
February 8, 2024

U.S. foodservice outlets sold more shrimp year over year in 2023, due in part to lower prices, and more outlets included shrimp on their menus, improving the products' countrywide menu penetration.

However, customers bought less average volume per visit, and foodservice businesses used an average of 20 pounds less volume per establishment, according to Performance Food Group Vice President of Procurement Michael Seidel.

Foodservice outlets have

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Published on
February 7, 2024

A slew of new seafood products are hitting shelves and freezers in U.S. supermarkets in February 2024.

Essen, Germany-based retailer ALDI is offering specials on several of its private-label seafood products in February and is launching pollock portions for the first time. Available from 28 February onward, the pollock portions – coming in the form of sandwiches in original and dill pickle flavors under the company’s Fremont Fish

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Published on
February 7, 2024

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued contracts cumulatively worth USD 32.5 million (EUR 30 million) to several U.S. Gulf of Mexico wild shrimp suppliers.

After asking for bids in mid-January 2024, the USDA awarded the majority of the contracts for 385,000 cases of peeled and deveined shrimp to New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.-based Paul Piazza & Son for USD 15.1 million (EUR 14 million).

Lafitte, Louisiana, U.S.A.-based Lafitte Frozen

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