Christmas Puddings Get A Stuffing

Meridian Salmon Group Press releases

Smoked salmon’s increasing popularity has hits new heights after a report revealed the fishy treat outsold Christmas puddings on the nation’s festive dinner tables.

By establishing itself as a firm favorite during the festive period and all year round, sales of smoked salmon exceeded £22.5million during the four weeks of December, £1.5 million more than the sale of Christmas Puddings.

Meridian Salmon Group, one of Scotland’s largest salmon farming companies which has 16 production sites on the Orkney Islands, said the figures are great news for the industry.

 Mark Warrington, managing director of Meridian Salmon Group, said: “It’s no surprise to us as the largest salmon smokers in the world that smoked salmon has outsold Christmas puddings this year.

“Despite the vocal minority who attempt to run the salmon industry down this is a clear endorsement by consumers of a quality product that is becoming as traditional on Christmas Day as the Queen’s Speech.

“We are proud to serve up this healthy and nutritious treat year round also and it is welcome news to all who work hard to produce top quality salmon in rural locations throughout Scotland that their dedication is reflected in growing sales and consumer confidence in their product.”

Almost 25 million portions of smoked salmon were eaten last Christmas in restaurants and homes with Scottish produced salmon proving particularly popular.

Research by retail analysts Kantar Worldpanel found that sales of smoked salmon have been increasing for the last four years and peak in the four weeks of December.

Mark Thompson, business unit director at Kantar Worldpanel, said: Shoppers now spend more on smoked salmon than they do the Christmas pudding.

“The value of sales is rising, with the total amount people spend on smoked salmon increasing the last four festive periods and the four week Christmas period accounts for more than 19% of smoked salmon sales throughout the year.”

Meridian Salmon Group currently employs 92 people on the Orkney Islands, where it operated for the last 11 years.

Meridian Salmon Group is one of the top five salmon farming companies in Scotland, employing 350 people particularly in small communities in Argyll and Bute, the West Coast, Shetland and Orkney. It operates at 61 sea sites and 19 freshwater sites across Scotland and Cumbria.

The company is unique in that it operates a combined integration processes involving salmon breeding, hatchery, farming and processing, which gives the company total control over every stage of the production cycle, resulting in fish of consistently high quality.

It is committed to best practice in its entire farming and aquaculture operations and in protecting the natural environment and eco-systems in which they operate, ensuring all its facilities operate to the highest quality and food safety standards.

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