NZ fine dining salmon wins global award

Media release
May 14, 2013

NZ fine dining salmon wins global award

New Zealand’s Ōra King salmon has been judged as ‘remarkable’ at the iTQi Superior Taste Awards in Belgium.

The brand has been developed specifically for fine dining by Nelson-based New Zealand King Salmon and was launched only last year.

Ōra King Fresh Whole Salmon achieved two stars in the awards and an overall mark of 83.1 per cent.

The iTQi Superior Taste Awards are in their ninth year and are judged by more than 120 of the world’s opinion-leading chefs and sommeliers.

Company CEO Grant Rosewarne says the accolade for Ōra King supports the company’s determination to be the world’s best producer of salmon for the demanding global food service trade.

“Ōra King represents the pinnacle standard from the NZ King Salmon fish selection programme founded on more than two decades of classical breeding and careful production management,” Mr Rosewarne says.

“We have had wonderfully positive feedback from chefs around the world. This award - judged by their peers - clearly demonstrates we have a world-beating product on our hands,” he says.

The company is awaiting full evaluation reports from the awards organisers complete with comments from the judges.

The International Taste & Quality Institute (iTQi) is the leading independent chef and sommelier based organisation. Its aim is to test and promote “superior tasting food and drink from around the world”.

In the Superior Taste Award, products are blind tested solely on their own merit (not compared). The focus is on the intensity of gustatory pleasures. Criteria scored are first impression, appearance, aroma, texture, flavour and retro-olfaction and are commented on by each judge.

Judges are picked from a selection of 12 most prestigious culinary and sommeliers associations in Europe. The Superior Taste Award is licensed to the product for three years and Ōra King can use award labels on its products for that time.

The iTQi awards are now in their ninth year and in 2013 attracted 1,239 product entries from approx. 68 countries. No stars are awarded to products that don’t reach the 70 per cent threshold for one star.

Websites
iTQi: www.itqi.com/en
New Zealand King Salmon: www.kingsalmon.co.nz
Ōra King Salmon: www.orakingsalmon.co.nz

About New Zealand King Salmon
New Zealand King Salmon (NZKS) sustainably farms King salmon from five sea farms in the cool, deep waters of the South Island’s Marlborough Sounds. NZKS invests heavily in research and development and is recognised worldwide for its best in class King salmon farming practises. It is firmly committed to the sustainability and viability of a renewable resource with its success centred on maintaining the quality of the waters in which the salmon are farmed. To this end, NZ King Salmon is independently certified by the Global Aquaculture Alliance as conforming to its Best Aquaculture Practices standards. Compared to other salmon and seafood species, King salmon consistently contains some of the highest levels per serving of healthy long-chain Omega-3 oils. The health benefits of Omega-3 oils are widely recognised by health professionals.

ENDS

© Scoop Media