Mr. Anthony Rasetta reports

HIGH LINER FOODS' SEA CUISINE EXPANDS THE FROZEN AISLE WITH NEW SKILLET MEALS

High Liner Foods Inc.'s Sea Cuisine skillet meals are available at select grocery stores across the United States, bringing globally inspired, one-pan seafood meals to the frozen aisle. Ready in just 15 minutes, the new line expands the category with chef-inspired, complete meal options.

"Seafood has long been underrepresented in the frozen meals aisle," said Anthony Rasetta, chief commercial officer, High Liner Foods. "Sea Cuisine skillet meals broaden those options and make it easier than ever to enjoy restaurant-quality seafood meals at home. With today's consumers looking for options that taste great, come together quickly and are high in protein, this innovative lineup offers all the quality and convenience they want with none of the wait."

Designed to deliver a convenient, one-pan cooking experience, this latest offering from High Liner Food's Sea Cuisine brand helps to simplify seafood preparation. The line features three globally inspired recipes crafted with responsibly sourced seafood and high-quality ingredients, each an excellent source of protein.

First introduced at this year's Seafood Expo North America, Sea Cuisine skillet meals currently include three complete meal solutions:

1. Mediterranean-style sole pasta (22 grams of protein per serving): Sea Cuisine's wild-caught sole paired with penne pasta, roasted yellow and red peppers, and diced tomatoes in a Mediterranean-inspired lemon caper sauce;
2. Thai red curry salmon (19 grams of protein per serving): wild-caught salmon with snap peas, red bell peppers, carrots and brown rice in a chef-crafted Thai red curry sauce;
3. Chili garlic shrimp (15 grams of protein per serving): Sea Cuisine's premium shrimp with chow mein noodles, broccoli, red peppers and carrots in a chili garlic sauce.

Closing satisfaction gaps in the frozen meal category

While consumers are looking for meals that deliver on taste, convenience and quality, many offerings still fall short. In fact, 64 per cent of frozen meal consumers report being only somewhat satisfied with what is available today. At the same time, the frozen multiserve category lacks variety in protein choices with chicken and beef accounting for nearly 70 per cent of the top-300 frozen multiserve SKUs.

Sea Cuisine skillet meals help address this gap by expanding seafood options within the category while aligning with key consumer preferences. Recent national eating trends results show that:

• Forty-five per cent of consumers want meals with no prep that can be made in one dish.
• Seventy-five per cent want options ready in 15 minutes or fewer.
• Forty-one per cent are looking to consume more protein.

Product testing results further support this demand, with more than 87 per cent of participants indicating that the skillet meals exceeded their expectations and 91 per cent noting they were easy to prepare.

Sea Cuisine skillet meals are available in the frozen aisle at a number of U.S. grocery stores, with broader North American distribution to come.

About High Liner Foods Inc.

High Liner Foods is a leading North American processor and marketer of value-added frozen seafood, proudly serving retail and foodservice customers for over 125 years. Headquartered in Lunenburg, N.S., the company is committed to delivering high-quality, sustainably sourced seafood throughout the United States and Canada under both its retail-branded products, which include the High Liner, Fisher Boy, Mirabel, Sea Cuisine, C.Wirthy, Catch of the Day, Mrs. Paul's and Van de Kamp's labels, and to restaurants and institutions under the High Liner, Mirabel, Icelandic Seafood and FPI labels. The company is also a major supplier of private-label, value-added seafood products to North American food retailers and food service distributors.