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Super Bowl Food Facts

· Did you know 14,500 Tons of Chips are Consumed on Super Bowl Sunday annually?

· On Super Bowl Sunday over 8 Million pounds of Gucamole are consumed & 34 million pounds of Salsa.

· Super Bowl Sunday is Delivery Pizza's biggest day of the year, selling more than 3.2 million

· Did you know that there is a 20% Increase in antacid sales the Monday after Super Bowl Sunday?

Inland Seafood Certified (ISC)

report 9.20.10

Inland Seafood is your #1 choice for the finest seafood and center of the plate products available today.

Our well-trained staff does more than just sell you “fish in a box.” They work on-site at our processing plants and have been trained in everything from processing to preparation. Here are just a few observations from this week’s market. This report is a guide to help you in your buying decisions & to keep you informed regarding the current market.

Price ranges refer to this week’s auction and are subject to change in the coming week based on market conditions.

The market is still tight on cod, skate, monk and haddock. Boats are fishing for these ground fish on the Georges Bank again, but it appears that some of the major species are still scattered after hurricane Earl came through. We are now buying a stellar farm raised cod from Canada.

We have been getting a steady supply of dayboat fresh catch coming in from the Carolina coast. We have been seeing beautiful flounders, groupers, triggerfish, amberjack, white shrimp and b-liner snappers.

Dayboat red grouper prices have dropped this week and prices are up slightly on tuna, sword halibut and mahi mahi.

We are still looking for the wild striped bass market to open up in the Chesapeake. We are hoping forward to a good fall run.

All sizes of true dry pack scallops remain tight and prices are extraordinarily high for this time of year. Supply will remain tight for the foreseeable future with both American and Canadian fleet landings remaining lower then expected.

With the weakened American dollar the demand in Europe remains very strong for North Atlantic scallops. Also, the emerging Chinese middle class is also becoming a consumer of large scallops and some Canadian product is being exported to China via Hong Kong.

This Week’s Features…

Ø Redfish

We have a great supply of redfish from Texas. This farm raised fish is coming in whole fresh daily. Today’s fillet price is only $10.99/# .

Ø Piedmontese Beef from Montana Ranch

GENETIC SUPERIORITY = Superbly lean - but tender. The Piedmontese bovine breed owes its name to the region of its origin, Piemonte (Italy). It is the finest Italian beef breed.

Montana Ranch Brand in the News

Montana Ranch Brand In the News:

South Dakota beef producer Jerry Hofer implemented a genetic program for his Lakeview Piedmontese that could become a new driving force in the beef industry.

Hofer, who oversees cattle development at the Lakeview Hutterite Colony outside Lake Andes, has worked the last decade to develop genetics that maximize carcass value as it relates to muscle yield, while still delivering tenderness and flavor. He found his answer in the Piedmontese-specific myostatin-allele mutation, a naturally occurring DNA sequence that dramatically impacts carcass quality.

In 2001, USDA's Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, NE, published research results related to the effects of the Piedmontese myostatin gene on meat tenderness:
“The effects of Piedmontese inheritance on meat tenderness were due entirely to the myostatin gene. All four cuts from heterozygous animals with one copy of the myostatin gene were more tender and had less connective tissue than normal animals. Only the bottom round cut was further increased in tenderness with two copies of the double-muscling gene relative to one copy.

Piedmontese bulls homozygous for myostatin could be used as terminal sires to produce heterozygous progeny with improved tenderness in the four muscles studied,” the report concluded.

Hofer has utilized Piedmontese in his cross-breeding program for eight years now; he's currently running 150 Piedmontese cows in a seedstock program and 150 commercial cows in an embryo transfer (ET) program.

Lakeview has also developed a network of producers utilizing Lakeview bulls in their commercial herds to generate a supply of value-added heterozygous offspring.
“We finish about 1,500 Piedmontese-sired calves each year,” Hofer says. “We consistently see a significant increase in carcass value from this program. In today's marketing world, it's the difference between profit and loss.”

Hofer says Lakeview's goal was to develop top-line Piedmontese seedstock, both traditional Italian full bloods and composites. His team's gene-mapping program was designed to build on the homozygous state of Piedmontese-specific myostatin-allele mutation and then focus on enhancing the cattle's convenience traits such as solid red or black hides, polled heads and calving ease.

He was also determined to build terminal-cross bulls that deliver hybrid vigor into F1 progeny by not relying heavily on the Angus cross to obtain the genetic pool. So he utilized South Devon and Salers genetics in crossbreeding, resulting in a line possessing all the traits his team identified in its genetic quest.

“We wanted cattle that consistently produce lean, tender, flavorful and nutritious beef along with abundant carcass yield and the phenotypic appeal commercial breeders require,” Hofer says.
Calving problems

The traditional rap on double-muscled breeds is their tendency toward hard calving, but Hofer says Piedmontese used as a terminal cross on non-Piedmontese females produce calving-ease results similar to other breeds. In fact, research demonstrates Piedmontese as a terminal cross posted 92.5% unassisted births and an average birth weight of 80.2 lbs., he says.

“It's important to understand that, as seedstock breeders (Piedmontese to Piedmontese), there is increased management at calving time because of how the myostatin gene is passed to offspring,” he says. “Therefore, commercial cattlemen should buy their replacement females and treat the Piedmontese crossbred as a terminal animal only.”

After Lakeview weaned its first Piedmontese composites in 2003, DNA testing was done to ensure their compatibility with the existing gene map. Hofer produced ET calves in spring 2006 he hoped would possess the genetic package he sought.

“From that group of calves we identified a bull, Protrend, or Trend as we call him, who is now a large part of our program's foundation,” Hofer says.
Under test, Trend recorded an average respective daily gain of 5.1 lbs. and actual 11-month weight of 1,268 lbs.

“He has the full gene map we've been looking for,” Hofer says. “We're tracking his offspring to the rail, and his results on calving and weaning weights are very encouraging. We plan to run the Piedmontese composites parallel to our full-blood Piedmontese breeding program.”

A hungry market
Ralph Peterson, CEO of Montana Ranch Brand (MRB) Natural Meats, believes Hofer's genetics will instigate “the next big change” in the beef industry. MRB markets Certified Piedmontese Beef.

Peterson says Hofer's accomplishment in developing Piedmontese genetics is comparable to the incorporation of the polled gene into most mainline beef breeds. He says people have to taste Piedmontese beef in order to realize how it differs from other breeds in terms of tenderness and flavor.

“Consumers today want the same product time after time because they enjoy the eating experience,” Peterson says. “I expect to see a bigger push from consumers over the next 10-20 years for a beef product that consistently delivers that experience. We're building our company around that projection and finding consumers will pay more for such a product.”

MRB hopes to expand availability of its Piedmontese beef beyond the East Coast and West Coast markets, but supply is the biggest challenge. Only 10,000-12,000 head of Piedmontese are harvested annually, and MRB is responsible for 75-80% of them.

“As people develop more awareness of the product, we think Piedmontese will begin sweeping the beef industry because the quality and consistency are so much better,” he says.
In addition, he says research indicates Piedmontese beef cooks more quickly and is significantly higher in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (a powerful anticarcinogenic) than other breeds. It's also lower in calories and cholesterol and higher in protein than traditional beef, he adds.

“Ranchers who want to start producing Piedmontese beef can do that just by putting Piedmontese bulls on their existing herd. They finish out in 14-18 months, marble nicely and do well on grass or in the feedlot. There's a ready market for them because we need to dramatically expand our supply of Piedmontese beef all year round; our consumers demand it,” Peterson says.

report 9.13.10

This Week’s Feature…

Fresh Jumbo Lump Lobster Meat

These tasty chunks of cooked lobster knuckle meat are actually less than the price of jumbo lump crabmeat.

Inland Seafood is your #1 choice for the finest seafood and center of the plate products available today.

Here are just a few observations from this week’s market. This report is a guide to help you in your buying decisions & to keep you informed regarding the current market.

Price ranges refer to this week’s auction and are subject to change in the coming week based on market conditions.

Sockeye Salmon – There were record numbers caught this year. The name sockeye has nothing to do with the fish's eyes but is a taken from the Native American name sukkai. Sockeye salmon carries a large amount of rich omega-3 fat, which gives the meat a nice, rich flavor. Raw meat is firm and has a bright-red or orange-red color. Sockeyes are the reddest-fleshed of the wild salmon. Cooked meat remains red and firm.

Wahoo – It looks like a mackerel. Wahoo swims like a mackerel. In fact, wahoo is a mackerel. But, wahoo does not taste like a mackerel. Unlike other mackerel, wahoo has a mild, snow-white flesh.

Alaskan Halibut –Firm, flaky texture with a delicate, succulent flavor. It maintains its shape and is suitable for all types of cooking methods.

Dry Pack Sea Scallops – The true fresh pack sea scallop market is on the rise. We are only sourcing the best Sea Scallops in the market. Dry pack means that there are NO preservatives and you will get the perfect crust on them with less shrinkage when you cook them.

Clams & Mussels - We have a great selection of wild and farm raised clams, as well as cold water rope grown mussels. Manila clams and Mediterranean mussels are also available with a preorder.

Inland Fresh Fish Portions

Believe it or not…
you can save more than just time with our Inland fresh fish portions.

Our portion costs are low because we are able to yield the entire fillet. We are able to use the trimmings and tail ends for some of our value added products. We are extremely consistent with your specifications and the quality is spot on.

Do your own yield test on portions cut from fillets or whole fish in house = you will be surprised.

Consider the many advantages of using Inland’s fresh fish portions...

· Reduced labor cost
· No waste
· Consistency in sizing
· Food cost
· Quality control
· Inventory control

Please let us know if you have any questions about our Inland Seafood Fresh Fish Portion Program.