At the beginning of June, the Norwegian Seafood Council held a seafood seminar in Milan. The seminar was a great success and highlighted the most important species in Italy: salmon, stockfish, clipfish, and salted fish.
270 participants were registered for the seminar held at Hotel Nhow on June 5th. The audience included representatives from the entire value chain, from Norwegian producers and exporters to Italian grocery chains and restaurants.
New seafood seminar in 2026
"We were very excited to see if the approach of combining the annual salmon seminar and the annual conventional seminar would work in 2025. We have done this before, but it’s been a while since the last time. According to feedback from our guests, it fortunately worked well. The plan is therefore to repeat this next year," says Tom-Jørgen Gangsø, the Norwegian Seafood Council's Country Director in Italy.
He was one of several from the Norwegian seafood industry who contributed from the stage during the four-hour seminar. The CEO of the Norwegian Seafood Council, Christian Chramer, put Norwegian seafood exports into a global and historical perspective in his presentation.
Important to create meeting places
"Although seafood has been an important part of the Norwegian export revenues for thousands of years, it is even more important to ensure the world has healthy proteins from the sea. We live in challenging times where we face a new geopolitical reality. It is more important than ever to create meeting places like this," Chramer said in his presentation.
Norway and Italy have a long and proud trade history. In 2024, Norway exported seafood worth 7.4 billion NOK to Italy. This makes Italy the 9th largest market for Norwegian seafood last year, measured by value.
Fragmented market
In Italy, salmon and stockfish are the dominant products. At the seminar, the collective term "baccalà" was often used. It refers to clipfish and salted fish of cod.
"The Italian seafood market is very fragmented. It can be challenging, but it primarily offers opportunities. Our goal has therefore been to establish new collaborations with both individual businesses and chains, both within the grocery trade and the restaurant sector. It is a key step to maintain and develop Norway's market position in Italy," says Gangsø.
This is driven by growth in sushi and poke in the restaurant sector and that fresh and smoked salmon has developed into some of the most important seafood products for grocery chains.
"When it comes to stockfish and baccalà, we have over time seen a shift towards more soaked and ready-made products both in the grocery and restaurant sectors. These types of products can also show growth, even in challenging times with quota reductions and high prices for raw materials," explains Tom-Jørgen Gangsø.
Increased awareness of "Seafood from Norway"
Norway is the most well-known and preferred country of origin for salmon, stockfish, and baccalà.
"In addition, awareness of the origin label 'Seafood from Norway' is increasing. This is important, as we can achieve synergies between our investments, and it helps to meet a demand from Italian consumers. They both expect and want to know where the seafood comes from," says Gangsø.
Taking a new digital approach this autumn
"What are the plans for autumn?"
“There is great potential to increase salmon consumption in Italy. When it comes to stockfish and baccalà, the price increase means we need to reposition the product in the market. According to our insights, many are replacing stockfish with cheaper products. This is a development that we need to be particularly aware of," Gangsø emphasize.
The Norwegian Seafood Council also aims to carry out more activities with grocery chains on baccalà. In September, a salmon campaign will start in the media, followed by a stockfish campaign later in the autumn.
"In addition, we will try something new together with partners in the hotel, restaurant, and canteen sectors. If a consumer is near a place that sells selected Norwegian seafood products, they will receive an advertisement on their mobile. We hope this will both contribute to increased sales and help strengthen the position of Norwegian products," says Norwegian Seafood Council's Country Director in Italy.
