Instead of cod! Europe's largest frozen food company has signed a contract to buy Vietnamese basa fish

Nomad Foods, Europe's leading frozen food company, has announced it has signed a new contract to secure the supply of Aquaculture Management Council (ASC) -certified catfish from three of the world's largest suppliers: Vinh Hoan, VDTG and Godaco Seafood.

The move follows efforts by some large European processors to secure alternatives to whitefish, after supply chains for cod and other whitefish were disrupted in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, straining additional supplies in Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

Big brands such as Nomad, Young's and Germany's Frosta are all looking for alternatives, and catfish is widely seen as one of the answers. The fast-growing, inexpensive, mild-tasting, soft-meat whitefish has been a mainstay of the U.S. market for years and was once a major presence in Europe as well.

Nomad is already the world's largest brand buyer of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fish and seafood products. Nomad, which is also the owner of the Iglo and Findus frozen food brands, reported a 17 percent rise in second-quarter revenue to 697 million euros ($669 million) and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of 127 million euros ($122 million), up 2.9 percent from a year earlier.