Sardine catches off Morocco and Portugal have improved but a backlog of orders is still giving problems to canners, who have experienced poor catches for the last couple of months. In addition to the scarcity, some of the fish are of poor quality, thought to be caused by sea temperature changes, which have led to algae growth. If shoals encounter this in their search for food, the fish require a very thorough cleaning regime before canning, which, according to canners, adds extra costs. With the healthy eating recipes calling for high oil content fish, sardines are in demand for many starter dishes, and also for the proliferation of added value packs. The demand on the limited raw material resource is causing problems in the supply chain. Serious shortages of pilchards are another factor which is putting pressure on this sector of the category. {{CANNED GOODS }}

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