From baked breadcrumbs and grated cheese to garlic and herbs, Gloucester, Massachusetts, USA-based Gorton’s is revamping its ingredients list and will introduce new, cleaner recipes for all of its value-added frozen seafood products by the end of 2017.
For more than a year now, Gorton’s culinary team has been reviewing recipes to ensure that only ingredients found in one’s own kitchen will be used in producing its wide range, which runs the gamut from breaded and battered fish sticks and fillets and clam strips to shrimp scampi popcorn shrimp and other items. The first nine simplified recipes will begin rolling out in the next two months.
“Delicious, quality seafood isn’t just about the seafood,” said Mary Beth Gangloff, who is leading the simplification program. “It’s about the grated Parmesan and Romano cheese in our Parmesan Crusted Cod, or the beer in our Beer Battered Fillets.”
She continued: “In addition to listening to feedback from consumers, this effort comes from our team’s desire to offer the best possible products with the fewest ingredients on the back panel, while ensuring that taste and quality is maintained or improved.”
The format of the list of ingredients on the package is also changing to be easier to read and understand. Ingredients that make up the breadcrumb coating will be listed separately from vegetable oil or wild-caught Alaska pollock, for example. This new format makes it easy for consumers to understand the composition of the products and to be reassured that they are eating high quality ingredients.
“Reading nutrition labels is so important when selecting healthy food choices, but can also be really confusing at times,” said Allison Stowell, founder of Stowell Nutrition. “When a leading brand like Gorton’s takes the steps to not only simplify the ingredients, but also make the labels clearer and easier to understand, it’s a great step towards brand transparency and, ultimately, improved public health.”
Reworked products across the full Gorton’s line will continue to roll out through the beginning of 2017. Each of the offerings, which are already free of synthetic colors, artificial flavors and MSG, will have simpler ingredients and labels by the end of 2017.
“As a leader in the seafood industry, Gorton’s commitment to providing consumers with simplified products and labels is an important step toward improving the industry as a whole,” said Linda Cornish, executive director of the Seafood Nutrition Partnership. “Gorton’s ongoing commitment to sustainable seafood has strengthened the brand’s position and this effort is just one more way they are demonstrating their dedication to providing quality, sustainable seafood.”
