Norwegian Seafood Council seeks to boost choices for Korean consumers

Top mackerel exporter to help increase supplies of protein sources

By Park Hyong-ki

As a global exporter of mackerel and salmon, Norway is seeking to provide more options and choices to a variety of seafood products for Korean consumers, said the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), a state-run organization in charge of business strategy and marketing support for the Norwegian fishing industry.

Korea is Norway’s top Asian export market for its mackerel and salmon. Norwegian mackerel accounted for 74 percent, the highest in Korea’s imported market for the fish as of September last year. Its refrigerated salmon products also predominately lead the market, taking up 98 percent here.

As the data show, local and other foreign seafood brands will find it difficult to catch up and overtake Norway’s mackerel and salmon.

But the NSC stressed that it does not want its products to monopolize the Korean seafood market, but rather encourage development and introduction of more seafood brands that can increase consumption of protein sources.

“We are not here to eliminate competition but co-exist with the local industry and give consumers more choices to a variety of seafood products,” said Gunvar L. Wie, director of the NSC for the Korean and Japanese markets, in an interview.

“Norway’s product is one product among many other seafood products in the market. For instance in mackerel, we see other mackerel brands come along with those of Norway. We see Jeju Island-branded mackerel on the same aisle next to Norwegian mackerel, further growing the whole pie in terms of consumer choice. That is what we truly want to see.”

The NSC works on behalf of Norwegian exporters and supply chains, and helps implement their business strategy in marketing and communication, and risk management.

Based on this market strategy of co-existence and competition, the other important mission the NSC wants to carry out is raising the awareness of healthy consumption of protein-rich seafood.

The NSC hopes to help not only Korea but also other markets to balance the consumption of seafood and meat for healthier lifestyle.

“If you have a large protein source coming from chicken, beef and so on, that’s fine. But if you have a very small portion coming from seafood, we would like to lift the seafood side, and sort of balance it out,” Wie said.

“This goes down to all areas in many countries we are working in _ lifting the health aspect of seafood consumption. This is also part of our important tasks to provide information in terms of taste and how to utilize seafood in creating new recipes around the world.”

Mackerel and salmon are especially rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which the human body needs for normal growth and development. They help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Salmon is also rich in calcium, vitamin D and vitamin A, E, B6 and astaxanthin, which protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation.

Norway’s efforts to “leveling the scale” between meat and seafood consumption come as the global economy is expected to face food shortages as the world population increases, the NSC director noted.

The world would need to increase food production by 60 percent as the global population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

It is estimated that some 840 million people would remain undernourished with nearly two-thirds of them living in Asia.

“Some other data showed that only about 2-4 percent of protein sources come from the sea. That is very low,” Wie noted.

“I am not a scientist, but as we need 60 percent more food than today due to population growth, where can you grow that sustainably and manageable way? Well, seafood is a fantastic area to explore. We see this initiative in Korea. We believe that is smart.”

Exporting Beyond Mackerel, Salmon

Norway is looking to boost exports of its snow and king crabs to Korea as the two sides aim to increase supplies of healthy protein sources.

“Demand for king crabs is growing here. We are in the stage of mapping statistical data,” he said.

Through communication between the NSC and its Korean counterparts, fishing industry and stakeholders, including the Korea Maritime Institute and Korea Food and Drug Administration, Norway is also trying to provide right market information and analyses from which the local industry and consumers can gain insight for their business and consumption.

Wie said that Korea and Norway have a lot in common especially when it comes to making sure seafood is a healthy source for the sustainable future, as well as growing and investing in the industry through open frameworks.

“I think Korea and Norway have a lot in common _ we are both coastal nations, living off the seas and living side by side with the seas. That is something we want to develop more, but more on consumer scale,” he said.

“At the end of the day, it is all about consumers. Seafood needs to be on a par with that. That would be very beneficial going forward.”

Who is Wie

Gunvar L. Wie, the director of the Norwegian Seafood Council for Korea and Japan, was born in 1978. He graduated at the Macquarie University in Australia with the master of commerce and marketing in 2006.

He has been building broad international leadership experiences in marketing, sales and project management over the past 21 years. He is also a food and beverage expert with the Craft Certificate as a Chef.

When director Wie was working as a commercial director at Fazer Food Services Norway, one of the leading contract catering companies in the Nordic from 2014 to 2016, he utilized his experience as a chef at Thon Hotels to fulfill his duties to develop growth strategies and project management.

On March 1, 2016, he was appointed as a director of the Norwegian Seafood Council, with the aim of strengthening the position of Norwegian seafood, developing the Norwegian seafood industry and generating value to consumers in Korea and Japan.

The NSC’s head office is located in Tromso, Norway, with representatives in 12 countries. It works to identify opportunities for Norwegian seafood products in both new and established markets.