Organic salmon is farmed under strict regulations and all parts of the value chain is audited against the strict organic standards. The main differences between organic and conventional salmon are:
ORGANIC SALMON
Organic fillets
The organic salmon fillets made at our processing plant come in various sizes and forms. Only the freshest whole organic salmon is used to ensure highest quality end product. The fillets can be offered both as fresh or frozen, packed in air boxes or special Villa branded boxes.
Our organic fillets are cut based on a trimming scale from A to F. Kindly refer to our trim guide here for more details.
Organic portions
Salmon portions are made from fillets, they require no further processing and are easy to cook and are perfect for retail, household or HORECA.
The salmon portions are the most convenient products, ready to be cooked straight from the package with no further work having to be done. These portions can be made according to your specifications and needs. We deliver both fresh or frozen portions, packed individually (IVP) or in chainpack, 2-8 portions.
Organic whole salmon
Villa Seafood offers both HOG (head-on gutted) and HG(head-off gutted) whole organic salmon. This product can also be delivered fresh or frozen.
Based on the color, consistency and other factors all salmon is graded on a 3-point scale:
- Superior quality (SUP)
- Ordinary quality (ORD)
- Production quality (for domestic customers only)
Sizes vary from 1 to 9 kg fish and are packed according to your specifications and needs.
Our organic salmon can also be marked with our special Villa-branded tags. Please contact our sales office for more information.
Feed
In organic fish feed all ingredients must be certified organic or natural. As a part of the organic philosophy the diet should be as close to the natural diet as possible. We therefore use more fishmeal and fish oil than in conventional salmon feed. The fishmeal and fish oil comes from off cuts and trimmings from the seafood industry.
The pigment in the feed is a natural carotenoid which comes from a microorganism called Paracoccus carotnifaciens. The pigment is a very strong natural antioxidant which is important for the health of the fish, and as a side effect gives the salmon its natural pink color.
All vitamins, minerals and other nutrients added to the fish meal and fish oil to make a complete diet, have to be certified organic.
Density
Organic salmon have a lot of space to roam in. At maximum the organic standard allows for 10 kg fish per cubic meter of water. That is 1% fish and 99% water!
Accountability
All parts of the organic value chain are audited by third party, independent auditors. The organic salmon from Organic Sea Harvest will be farmed according to the UK Soil Association Aquaculture standard. This is a 76- page standard which details all parts of the farming process. As a consumer you can therefore be assured that the organic salmon is just that: organic.
The standard can be found on: https://www.soilassociation.org/media/18614/aquaculture-standards.pdf
Philosophy
Although the organic salmon farming standards are very technical and detailed, organic farming has a lot do do with philosophy. We strive to replicate nature as close as we can within the limits of modern food production, we respect the fish we care for, and we partner with local communities to minimize our footprint and optimize the return of the inevitable footprint we have to make. As a part of this philosophy we have bought and build the infrastructure required for the salmon farms locally, the feed is manufactured within an hours drive from our farms and we try to employ as many local people as possible.