Aug 26, 2019 (Japan Today) - Prices of imported minced fish products -- ingredients of fishcakes used in popular oden hot pot dishes in Japan -- have been soaring due to increased demand in Europe, the United States and China as well as rising logistics and personnel costs, according to Finance Ministry trade data.
The import price of minced Alaska pollock, a mainstay ingredient for fishcakes, has been on the rise since around the spring of 2017 and stood at 401 yen per kilogram in June this year, marking a 30 percent increase from two years before.
Japan, which is believed to be the world's largest consumer of fishcakes or fish meat paste, imports many minced products known as surimi and processes them domestically. Most of the imports are minced Alaska pollock from the United States.
Popular items made from surimi include kamaboko fishcakes, typically made from pureed white fish and steamed until firm.
Meanwhile, consumption of cut fish have been expanding in Europe, the United States and China among health-conscious customers and Alaska pollock caught in the United States has been sought by various countries, according to an industry source.
The price of surimi rose in overseas markets because slices of Alaska pollock were increasingly sold, rather than being shipped as minced products.
