Seafood and Freshwater Produce Sector

Seafood and Freshwater Produce Sector

With nearly 97,000 tons of fish and crustaceans sold every year, Rungis market’s seafood sector is one of the largest ports in France in terms of volume.

The seafood sector comprises the following:

• 1 main sales pavilion: A4
• 1 building devoted to the sale of accessories
• 3 warehouses
• 1 ice tower

SPOTLIGHT ON... PAVILION A4

• Refrigerated unloading to ensure that the ice does not melt before the goods reach the sales area.
• Twin air cooling and processing systems, meaning that the cold is ‘stratified’ from the floor up to a height of 5m.
• Innovative materials: special resin floors and varnished walls to facilitate daily cleaning tasks, washbasins at posts with instant 30° water and antibacterial soap dispenser to enable buyers to touch products without the risk of contamination.
• High-performance fire prevention system: new material for warehouse walls (insulating + firewall foam glass), partitioned zones and a detection system to prevent a fire from spreading.

KEY FIGURES

The Seafood and Freshwater Produce Sector is holding its own and turning its attentions increasingly towards sustainable supply.

The increasing scarcity of the resource is partially responsible for an increase in prices. We are observing a significant decrease in sales of shellfish, crustaceans and whole fish. Rungis has nevertheless succeeded in limiting the negative impact on its key varieties.

Rungis holds its own…

The seafood market experienced an almost global increase in world prices in 2016, notably with regard to salmon. Average prices in France increased by 6%, with fish purchases per household increasing by 0.4% (source: Kantar Worldpanel). Volumes sold at Rungis stabilised at approximately 97,500 tonnes, with a slight increase of 0.2% recorded within the seafood pavilion (A4) alone. A 5% increase in sales of blue fish (sardines, mackerel, tuna, etc.) and a 3% increase in sales of freshwater fish, including trout but mainly salmon, which was not, as far as the Market was concerned, affected by the situation was also observed.

… And highlights what sets it apart

Sales of white fish (cod, whiting, etc.) and so-called gourmet fish (bass, bream, etc.), meanwhile, have remained stable or even slightly increased in some cases. Shellfish and crustaceans, however, achieved less positive results. Despite the countercyclical increased popularity of scallops, incoming deliveries of oysters and mussels decreased, as was the case with the majority of crustaceans. The case of salmon and scallops does, however, highlight what makes Rungis unusual: sales of the former increased by 4% when the national market was decreasing by 15% and sales of the latter were up 8.2% as opposed to the nationwide decrease of 21%.

IDEAS AND TIME-SAVING

The services available to buyers are designed to save them time and make their lives easier, particularly where restaurateurs are concerned. Nets are removed, prepared and graded in the netting workshops. Some chefs request certain grammages. They then leave with their goods or have them delivered ready to cook.