Salmon prices have been going through the roof for more than a year but some of the major kosher independent stores are just beginning to pass on the steep price increases for salmon and other fish categories.
The crisis first surfaced in early 2016 when unusually high sea temperatures, caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon, and a lack of rainfall prompted an algae outbreak with Chilean salmon, the world’s second largest supplier of salmon.
Subsequently, salmon prices reached historic highs due to an outbreak of sea lice in Norway, which offers the world’s largest farmed salmon supply. The NASDAQ Salmon Index indicates the price of the fatty fish increased by more than 15 percent in the last three months alone.
In Norway and Scotland, Salmon prices climbed by 50 percent in 2016 due to a spread of the half-inch parasites, which nibble on the fish’s blood and tissue, the Guardian reported. Similar increases were also apparent with Canadian fish.
Moshe of Evergreen in Monsey and now opening this week in Lakewood said that most stores tried to absorb the increases in early 2016, but the continued soaring prices caused them to make some adjustment in recent weeks.
The price for a lb. of salmon has gone from $10.99 to $12.99, but it is still a fraction of the actual price increases.
David Dvorkes of the Fish Department at Pomegranate, said that the increase in prices were not passed on to consumers.
“We use top of the line Scottish salmon and absorbed whatever increases there were,” he said.
Nor was salmon the only fish category that saw market prices soar. Fish like sea bass and flounder, mostly due to shortages, also experienced steep increases.
Many industry sources told Kosher Today that the consumption of fish by kosher consumers has more than tripled in the last two years.
They say that due to the popularity of sushi and a more health-conscious kosher customer, fish has become an important basic staple in the kosher diet.
From Star K: t’s been many years since Reb Moshe Feinstein paskened otherwise… Interestingly, even though the claim is made that salmon is unique, the claim is questionable. In fact, there is a known fish manufacturer who holds the patented method to color other less expensive fish to look exactly like salmon. Another method of coloring trout red is to feed the fish carrots. In Mexico, it is a practice to soak fish in red color. The great posek Hador, R’ Moshe Feinstein, tz”l, writes in his responsa that the proper way to given kosher certification to fish productions is… Read more »
From CRC: Q: When it comes to fish, such as salmon, does that need to be purchased at a kosher supermarket or can salmon also be purchased fresh at a general supermarket or frozen? A: There are two issues when purchasing raw, fresh fish. Firstly, one must be sure the fish is, in fact, a kosher species. As a rule one may not rely on the name of the fish to make that determination as (a) in some cases multiple fish are referred to by the same name and (b) there is considerable fraud in the fish industry with one… Read more »
Ever notice the difference in the color of Atlantic salmon or sockeye salmon? Atlantic salmon is pale in color and usually has coloring added to it through feed. This is because farmed fish are fed hormones and antibiotics and are extremely u healthy. Atlantic salmon is a nice name for farmed salmon, Do some googling and find out for yourself. Pay attention and you will notice the difference in color, taste and even the fishy smell. Sardines happen to be among the healthiest fish and can actually be bought for fresh and are quite a delicacy when not form the… Read more »
Bingo $7.99 ,,huge selection.
Benzis maybe $8.99 ? but certainly not $12.99 like most stores on BP
Welcome to the daily lives of shluchim in remote places with no kosher supermarkets.
lol.
Yes, their prices are lower becuse of bulk buying.
BUT are you buying the whole fish, and cleaning it yourself?
If you care about Kosher, you already know that
Fish must have scalely skin attached and also been cut with a kosher knife or you get to scrape every cut surface when you get home. Ugh.
The big non Jewish supermarkets can buy in a much greater quantity than we can – thus getting much lower prices. If every kosher supermarket bought together then the prices of everything would go down.
Look at the last paragraph and you can see why the price is going up (besides the fact that most “kosher” fish stores rip off the consumers).
“They say that due to the popularity of sushi and a more health-conscious kosher customer, fish has become an important basic staple in the kosher diet.”
In other words higher demand = higher price.
Eat sardines and herring. Gutt Shabbos.
it is not plesant to get parsites, some people cannot get rid of them, they can hide in the flesh of the colon and you think there are gone these are the laws from hashem, if you think you know better, go right ahead
$7.89/lb for Norwegian Salmon, $7.75/lb for Chilean (additional discounts for bulk purchases bring price down another 40-90 cents per lb)
Walmart sells fresh Atlantic salmon for 6.99 @lb
Go to Costco, you can buy Norwegian Salmon all day long for $7.99 a lb.
BS”D sounds fishy to me
Most salmon is farm grown and so unhealthy
so why is it half price in non kosher supermarkets!