Wegmans Promotes Gulf Coast-harvested Seafood

As summer winds down, Wegmans Food Markets and the Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition are featuring fresh Gulf seafood at the Northeast grocery chain through Sept. 6, providing quick menu ideas for late-season barbecues and back-to-school fare. All 84 of Wegmans' stores are showcasing seafood harvested from the Gulf of Mexico, including wild-caught shrimp, snapper, grouper and blue crab, as well as displaying informative Gulf seafood counter cards and window static clings.

Further, the Rochester, N.Y.-based grocery chain is rolling out a proprietary brand of wild-caught Gulf of Mexico peeled and deveined shrimp that will be available year-round.

As part of the program, on Aug. 29 Wegmans will present Gulf Coast seafood cooking demonstrations, freshly prepared wild-caught Gulf shrimp dish samples and educational grilling techniques.

"Wegmans is dedicated to providing the freshest ingredients to our customers, helping to make great meals easy and affordable," said Dave Wagner, the grocer’s VP of seafood merchandising. "The savory Gulf of Mexico seafood flavors fit into this plan … We are confident that once customers taste our new Wegmans brand wild-caught Gulf of Mexico shrimp and learn easy preparation techniques, it will soon become a favorite."

"Partnering with the highly respected and popular Wegmans chain will help the coalition share delicious flavors of the Gulf with our New England fans," noted Joanne Zaritsky, marketing director for the Tampa, Fla.-based Gulf Seafood Marketing Coalition.

The Gulf Coast region produces 69 percent of domestic shrimp, and is a leading producer of domestic hard- and soft-shell blue crabs, both of which are included in the Wegmans promotion.