Seafood division gross sales at retailed totaled $16.9 billion in 2021, a rise of 0.9% over 2020’s pandemic-spurred gross sales, in line with the newly released Power of Seafood report from FMI-The Meals Business Affiliation. Seafood gross sales had grown 28.4% in 2020.
“In 2020, the seafood division witnessed a significant soar in gross sales, and in 2021, we see that pattern holding regular and even enhance barely,” famous Rick Stein, vp of recent meals for FMI. “That is partly as a consequence of extra consumers discovering seafood and studying the right way to cook dinner and put together it at residence. The evaluation identifies a possibility for grocers to proceed to assist consumers’ seafood needs with details about cooking, preparation and sustainability.”
A number of shopper traits have led to increased seafood gross sales, says the report, together with rising seafood consumption amongst frequent seafood shoppers, extra consumers cooking and getting ready seafood at residence and extra consumers selecting seafood for sustainability causes.
The Energy of Seafood finds 59% of consumers are frequent (two or extra instances per week) or occasional (as soon as a month to at least one time per week) seafood shoppers, and frequent seafood shoppers are consuming extra seafood at mealtimes than in earlier years (55%). Forty p.c of seafood shoppers say they’re shopping for new or several types of seafood and value-added seafood choices, like heat-and-eat or grab-and-go seafood meals (44% shopping for extra), sushi (43%) and recent seafood that’s marinated or seasoned (41%).
Half of seafood shoppers (49%) are cooking extra meals with seafood for the reason that pandemic, and 73% of seafood shoppers who’re cooking extra are extra snug cooking seafood. Additional, most seafood shoppers wish to nonetheless know extra about the right way to cook dinner, put together or taste seafood (80%) and new and alternative ways to cook dinner seafood (83%).
“This heightened confidence means seafood consumers want to acquire new publicity to seafood merchandise,” stated Stein. “Consumers wish to study extra about the right way to cook dinner, put together and taste seafood (80%) and uncover distinctive methods to cook dinner seafood (83%). This represents a transparent alternative for meals retailers to be a stronger useful resource for consumers trying to additional their seafood-based culinary abilities.”
All through the 2 years of the pandemic, the buying conduct of seafood consumers has continued to evolve, in line with the report. Whereas a grocery store remains to be most probably to be the first retailer for seafood, the share of shoppers citing a grocery store as their major seafood retailer has fallen from 60% within the first Energy of Seafood report in 2018 to simply over half (51%) earlier than the pandemic to solely 37% this 12 months.
Previous to the COVID-19 pandemic, many seafood shoppers turned to eating places for ready seafood. Nevertheless, with eating places closed or restricted, many seafood shoppers have turned to their very own kitchens to arrange the seafood they take pleasure in. On this present atmosphere, a majority of the seafood (59%) consumed by seafood shoppers is ready or eaten at residence. The stability of seafood consumption is split virtually evenly between restaurant-prepared however eaten at residence (18%) and that which is ready and eaten at a restaurant (23%).
Provide chain points have been impacting meals retailers all through the pandemic. As a part of the Energy of Seafood retailers survey, retailers have been requested in regards to the impression that provide chain points had on their seafood enterprise in 2021. Nearly the entire retailers who responded (92%) stated provide points have been having a unfavourable impression on their enterprise, with 13% saying the impression was very unfavourable and 79% saying considerably unfavourable. These provide points probably served to dampen seafood gross sales numbers in 2021.
On-line continues to be a doubtlessly efficient approach to attain and talk with seafood shoppers. Most seafood shoppers (64%), and 77% of frequent seafood shoppers, have bought groceries on-line up to now 30 days. Nevertheless, fewer seafood shoppers (38%) and frequent seafood shoppers (54%) have bought recent or frozen seafood on-line. On-line is rising however remains to be a small channel by which to promote seafood, however on-line continues to be a extremely efficient approach to attain seafood shoppers.
Some seafood shoppers (38%) report selecting seafood extra actually because they assume it’s environmentally pleasant or sustainable generally, in comparison with different proteins. Half of seafood shoppers (50%) say sustainability claims or certifications have a significant impression on their buy selections. Nevertheless, solely 28% of seafood shoppers report they’re very educated about “sustainable seafood.”
“Meals retailers can leverage this information hole by educating consumers about sustainability certifications, in addition to seafood seize and elevating practices,” stated Stein. “Being a useful resource for this info can assist construct loyalty amongst seafood consumers. “
