Norwegian Farmed Salmon: A Commodity in Need of Differentiation?

Abstract

Despite much innovation and development in the Norwegian salmon industry, the focus has largely been on building volume and reducing costs. Limited attention has been paid to develop value added products and differentiation strategies in Norway to reap stable profits associated with such strategies. In depth-interviews with a supply chain containing Norwegian salmon producers, one exporter and one feed producer, industrial buyers representing two Polish processing companies and two German retailers, aimed to provide insight into why more differentiation is not happening in the Norwegian salmon industry. Results from this supply chain reveals lack of communication and asymmetric power-dependence relations between the Norwegian salmon business actors and their industrial buyers.