A U.K. retailer has renamed Atlantic pollock after its French counterpart to invigorate lagging sales of the whitefish.
British consumers are not identifying with pollock, so Sainsbury's re-branded the fish as "colin," the French word for hake, and is marketing it as a sustainable alternative to cod.
"There are other species to eat other than cod and haddock, which are just as tasty, and often cheaper," Alison Austin, environment manager at Sainsbury's, told the BBC. "Many people have said they even can't tell the difference in taste between cod or pollock."
In March, Sainsbury's cod sales totaled 52,904 units, outstripping pollock sales by nearly 49,000 units. But haddock was even more popular than cod, with 98,722 units sold. Pollock is far more popular in France than in Britain.
Some Sainsbury's stores will now stock pollock in new packaging designed by Wayne Hemingway and inspired by artist Jackson Pollock. Sainsbury's is Britain's third largest supermarket chain, with 785 supermarkets, hypermarkets and convenience stores.
April 5, 2009
