250 000 000!
17 October 2008Yesterday evening, the French celebrity chef Michel Roth welcomed imported salmon number 250 million, and today it will be presented at the fashionable L’Espadon at the Paris Ritz.
The celebratory salmon arrived at the fish halls at Rungis
Arrival Rungis, 00.15 hrs
The truck carrying salmon number 250 million arrived at the fish halls at Rungis, on the outskirts of Paris, at a quarter past twelve last night. When the lorry rolled up to the fish halls, it sounded its horn, accompanied by applause from spectators, establishing that the more than 2,000 kilometre journey from Frøya in Norway had been completed.
Michel Roth inspected the 250 millionth salmon in person, and he was very satisfied with what he saw. A shiny superior salmon, weighing in at 4.7 kg.
Michel Roth was thoroughly photographed on the stand on which the celebratory salmon took pride of place. The pallet was then carried through the halls, with a gaggle of journalists and guests in tow. The load was then handed over to the importer Atlantys Group, accompanied by the tracking document that lays out the life of the salmon.
At the heart of the fish halls, 32 people form a human salmon picture in honour of the Norwegian salmon import. You can find a link to the film of the event on the top right.
A gourmet fate for salmon number 250 million
The salmon will be prepared today at the restaurant L’Espadon at the Ritz Hotel in Paris by Michel Roth. L’Espadon boasts two stars in the Michelin guide. It is not known who will have the pleasure of eating the highly profiled 250 millionth salmon, but the guests who visit the restaurant demand high quality, as do other French consumers who last year ate 663 million meals containing Norwegian salmon.
French salmon consumption
Salmon used to be considered luxury food, only for great occasions. It now forms part of French consumers’ daily diet. In 2007, the French market imported 114,000 tonnes of Norwegian salmon. 7 of 10 salmon eaten in France come from Norway. Salmon is one of the French’s favourite fish, with a penetration of 39%, which is far higher than oysters, monkfish and tuna. French consumers eat an average of 2.1 kg Norwegian salmon each year, especially fillets/portions and smoked salmon. Although salmon is already the most popular fish for the French, consumption is on the increase. Last year alone, household purchases of salmon increased by a total of 21%.
Contact at the Norwegian Seafood Export Council: NSEC representative in France, Johan Kvalheim – johan.kvalheim@seafood.no
You can find links to high resolution photographs under the article and in ”Related files” in the menu on the top right. If you use them please include a credit for NSEC!