(IntraFish) Sales of seafood have surged in the wake of a series of food scares in Taiwan, with wholesale chains boosting figures after sales of meat products have dropped, reported the Central News Agency.
An estimated 30 to 40 percent sales increase in seafood has been reported in major supermarkets amid public concern over the use of ractopamine in the livestock industry and other food safety issues.
“Salmon, tilapia and milkfish — these are the three angels we have unexpectedly discovered,” A-mart PR manager Susan Yang said, adding that sales of the three items have doubled or tripled lately.
Food safety issues have been at the forefront in Taiwan since last month, when the government announced that it was mulling conditionally opening the local market to beef that contains the leanness-enhancing additive, which is banned in Taiwan.
The additive has also been found in some pork products, while outbreaks of H5N2 avian influenza in poultry raised in central and southern Taiwan have also aroused worry among consumers.
“I think it is safe to say that consumers feel that seafood is the safest form of protein,” said Odila Chen, assistant PR manager at Pxmart, another local supermarket.
The food concerns have even been reflected in customers’ choice of instant noodles, with beef noodles giving way to those with seafood flavors.
“Since the outbreak of the food problems, we have been trying to provide a diversified product mix,” Carrefour PR manager Savanna Tai said.