I love myself a Salade Niçoise (French tuna salad), and had finally found a place in Bangalore that made it well. But last week they suddenly removed it from the menu.
Further investigations revealed that their hand was forced by the mysterious disappearance of canned tuna from the shelves. Apparently no supply has come in since June, and we've exhausted the inventory built up during the pandemic. Good thing canned tuna doesn't go bad.
What's behind the shortage of canned tuna in Bangalore? Blame the worldwide shipping container crisis.
Despite its 7500 km coastline and the availability of at least 9 species of tuna, India imports almost all its canned fish from Thailand. So no containers means no tuna.
Despite its 7500 km coastline and the availability of at least 9 species of tuna, India imports almost all its canned fish from Thailand. So no containers means no tuna.
But that's not all. Thailand is the largest exporter of canned tuna, but doesn't produce much itself. It imports raw tuna from other countries, processes it and ships it right back. So the Thais are hit with high shipping costs on both legs, which add up in a low-value commodity.
India, on the other hand, has virtually no domestic consumption of the fish. It exports raw and frozen tuna, but has no canning and processing industry. The value difference between canned and raw fish? A mere 3x.
A $2.7B industry in Thailand fetches India only $88M.
A $2.7B industry in Thailand fetches India only $88M.
In summary, this tragi-comic confluence of factors - the lack of a food processing industry in India; the fact that Thailand imports and then exports most of its tuna; and the world's shipping containers being stuck at LA port - the salade niçoise has disappeared from BIC's menu.
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