The latest Meat, Fish and Poultry (MFP) figures from market research company Kantar Worldpanel for the 12 weeks ending 9 October, 2016, showed U.K. retail sales volumes were virtually static year-on-year in all areas except the chilled fish category.
Chilled fish continues to thrive with both value and volume growth rate increasing compared with Kantar’s previous update. In the 12 weeks through 9 October, these sales amounted to 36,000 metric tons (MT) with a total value of GBP 400.4 million (USD 487.5 million, EUR 445.1 million), representing year-on-year increases of 5 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively.
“Added-value and shellfish products are both growing ahead of the market and helping to drive up prices. 860,000 more shoppers have bought into added-value fish this period, buying more prawn, salmon and cod products. Prawns are also driving the growth in shellfish with 640,000 more shoppers buying them compared to last year,” said Nathan Ward, business unit director for MFP.
Sales of added-value products during the 12-week period amounted to 10,400 MT worth GBP 99.5 million (USD 121.2 million, EUR 110.6 million), up 8.4 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively. Shellfish sales, meanwhile, increased 15.6 percent in volume and 18 percent in value to 4,400 MT and GBP 54.8 million (USD 66.7 million, EUR 60.9 million).
By comparison, total fresh primary meat and poultry sales increased just 0.1 percent in volume to 220,100 MT during this period, achieving a total value of GBP 1.2 billion (USD 1.5 billion, EUR 1.3 billion), down 5.7 percent year-on-year. Similarly, fresh processed meat and poultry sales volumes increased by only 0.2 percent to 139,100 MT with the value falling 3.1 percent to GBP 808 million (USD 984 million, EUR 898.3 million).
Within fresh primary meat and poultry, chicken is the only major category still showing volume growth, with beef and turkey moving from growth last period into decline this period, said Ward.
Kantar highlighted that despite changes in exchange rates and on-going uncertainty around Brexit, prices are still falling in many markets and driving value to lag behind volume in all meat and poultry categories. Over the next few months, the company said it expects to see some categories start to see inflationary rises as the cost of raw materials and imports rise.
