Lithuania's Vičiūnai Group won the award for best retail product.
Photo: Diversified / Seafood Expo Global.
Lithuania's Vičiūnai Group and France’s Frais Embal have taken the highest honours at the 2026 Seafood Excellence Global Awards, held yesterday at the Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, the world’s largest seafood trade event taking place this week in Barcelona.
The awards, organised as part of the annual trade show, recognise products exhibited at the event. This year’s winners were selected from 35 finalists drawn from 16 countries.
Vičiūnai Group, which also won last year last year, received the award for best retail product for its Smoked Herring Slices – Natural Flavor. According to the event organisers, the ready-to-eat product impressed judges with its simple ingredients, natural smoky taste, balanced flavour profile and presentation, as well as its packaging design.
Frais Embal won the top award for best HORECA product for Salmon Roll, a thinly sliced rectangle of fresh salmon aimed at sushi preparation and other foodservice uses. The product was recognised for offering portion consistency and a more efficient preparation process for restaurants, with modified atmosphere packaging intended to support quality and ease of use.
Frais Embral won the award for best HORECA product.
Frais Embal's award-winning Salmon Roll.
Viciunai Smoked Herring Slices, winner of the Best Retail Product prize.
Four additional special awards were also presented. Norway's Leroy Seafood won the convenience category for its Fish Taco Sticks, a gluten-free breaded Atlantic saithe product flavoured with jalapeño and lime, and presented as an easy option for family meals.
Meanwhile, UK-based Sykes Seafood received the retail packaging award for its Argentinian Red Shrimp with Chimichurri Butter. The product combines red shrimp with herb and chilli butter and is packed in a recyclable aluminium tray with a cardboard sleeve designed to highlight cooking instructions and consumer information.
Another Lithuanian company, Iceco Fish, was awarded best seafood product line for its range of herring tartares. The line includes original, Scandinavian and herb variants, with organisers highlighting both the product concept and its recyclable packaging format.
The innovation award went to Reunimer of Reunion Island for its Marlin Gravelax, which applies a Nordic-style curing method to marlin fillets using sea salt, sugar, dill and spices.
This year’s judges were Raül Cervera of La Sirena in Spain, who also chaired the judging panel, Madeleine Hüffelmann of Germany’s Rewe Group, Damien Bocahu of Picard Surgelés in France and Percy Addo of Wonderfield Group in the UK.
The entries were assessed on taste, eating experience, packaging, marketability, convenience, nutritional value and innovation, with the scores verified by PwC.
The awarded products, along with the full list of finalists, are on display at the Seafood Expo until 23 April.