Also read Laine's Fish Factor column
5/31/06
A new project aims to get Alaska salmon into the mouths of American babiesCruise the baby food aisles of any American supermarket and you'll see beef, chicken, lamb, eggs - every kind of protein except fish. But that could soon change. The Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation has more than $400,000 federal dollarsearmarked for research to develop Alaska salmon baby food products.
Last year project was two products: pate and chunk from pink and or red salmon. And with or without additives like fish oil, perhaps also use salmon bone as source of organic calcium. Calcium rich, omega three rich, high protein food.
Scott Smiley is director of the University of Alaska Fisheries Industrial Technology center in Kodiak. A second project will focus on using samlon roe as a baby food ingredient. Smiley says researchers can create pure and healthful products, but it's up to others to sell the idea to baby food makers. "What we will get out of this is we'll be able to tell seafood processors what they need to do to make this kind of product. It will be up to them and to market researchers to convince baby food companies and they have to do to find out if it's going to fly in the marketplace."
It will be two or three years before the prototype products are ready. AFDF is already discussing the advantanges of salmon baby food with major companies. And Scott Smiley believes it's an idea that will sell.
"On the other hand, a whole lot going for fish Mom's recognize it's healthful, loaded with omega threes, comes from pure Alaska waters, good potential, just depends on how willing people are to make that vision translate into new products on the shelf.
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