Shifting shopping habits, greater awareness around health, and rising demand for convenience are creating new growth opportunities for seafood in the United Kingdom, according to a new retail report from the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) that was unveiled recently at the Norway-U.K. Seafood Summit.
The “NSC U.K. Market & Retail Trends Report 2026” said that retail is seafood’s most powerful growth engine, with total U.K. fast-moving consumer goods sales now valued at GBP 190 billion (USD 256.2 billion, EUR 217 billion) and around 80 percent of sales still flowing through brick-and-mortar stores. Within this landscape, the GBP 2.6 billion (USD 3.5 billion, EUR 3 billion) U.K. seafood category is delivering both value and volume growth, outperforming some competing proteins as consumers increasingly prioritize healthy, nutritious, and flexible meal solutions.
“Retail is where the biggest opportunities now sit for seafood,” the report said, pointing to format, functionality, and flexibility as defining themes for 2026.
NSC’s report found that one in four U.K. consumers are open to trying new species such as pollock, hake, flatfish, and saithe, leading the council to state that seafood’s future in U.K. retail will be shaped less by species alone and more by how products are presented, prepared, and consumed.
“The U.K. is already one of the most innovative seafood markets globally, with a world-class processing and retail sector that supports it,” NSC U.K. Director Bjørn-Erik Stabell said. “Our role is to contribute to that innovation by bringing Norwegian products to the market and by sharing insights that can support better decisions, spark new ideas, and unlock further growth. In doing so, we aim to strengthen the partnership between Norway industry and the U.K. industry. Seafood is growing in the U.K. It's doing really well. It's growing in value and volume despite high average prices. If you look at it versus other proteins, it's one of the highest average prices per kilogram, yet it's still maintaining this growth.”
According to David Marston, a retail expert at William Murray PR and Marketing, one of the key reasons for this upturn is that “health is firmly back on the agenda” for U.K. consumers.
“It's about positive nutrition, and seafood can play a vital role,” he said.
Marston explained that among the U.K.’s “big five” seafood species of salmon, cod, haddock, tuna, and prawns/shrimp, salmon remains the clear standout, delivering nearly 8 percent value growth and 10 percent volume growth over the past two years and adding GBP 187 million (USD 252.1 million, EUR 213.6 million) to category value.
Salmon is now worth GBP 1.5 billion (USD 2 billion, EUR 1.7 billion) at U.K. retail, with annual sales of around 75,000 metric tons (MT). Marston said average consumption has risen to 11 occasions per year, with 95 percent of salmon sold through the chilled aisle.
“Salmon continues to be the engine of seafood growth in the U.K.,” Stabell said. “Its strength lies in a unique combination of health benefits, versatility, and convenience, as more consumers choose to treat themselves at home.”
Norway remains a key supplier of salmon to the U.K., exporting around 180,000 MT of the product to the market annually, with NSC’s data also determining that the country was one of the fastest-growing markets for Norwegian salmon in 2025, with imports rising 35 percent in volume and 40 percent in value.
Elsewhere, raw seafood has become a mainstream retail offering, with the NSC report estimating the format to now be worth between GBP 470 and GBP 500 million (USD 633.6 million and USD 674 million, EUR 536.8 million and EUR 571.1 million), with retail accounting for a GBP 215.5 million (USD 290.5 million, EUR 246.1 million) share. Chilled sushi has grown by 13 percent in value and 9 percent in volume, while formats such as poke bowls and ceviche increasingly align with snacking, convenience, and global flavor trends.
According to the analysis, around 42 percent of U.K. consumers have tried poke bowls out of the house, suggesting that there’s significant room for at-home adoption.
“Raw consumption represents one of the most exciting growth opportunities for seafood in U.K. retail,” Stabell said. “The opportunity lies in making raw seafood more accessible – through clear quality cues, strong provenance messaging, and convenient, ready-to-enjoy formats.”
Also emphasized by NSC is seafood’s underrepresentation in convenience meals, with it accounting for just 11 percent of ready-to-eat meals despite holding a 13.4 percent share of the overall protein market.
The council found that shopping goals such as “treat for today” and “dinner for tonight” are reshaping consumer expectations as shoppers seek meals that are quick, healthy, and easy to prepare. Around 77 percent want meals where all components cook together easily, 47 percent find air-fryer-ready options appealing, and 78 percent are drawn to convenient meals with visible healthy ingredients such as seafood.
“Winning the two-minute meal race will depend on understanding how consumers cook, shop, and prioritize health,” Stabell said. “Seafood has clear potential to grow its role in convenience meals through smarter, insight-led innovation.”
Frozen seafood has also shifted its perception, becoming a premium, convenient, and sustainable option in U.K. retail, according to the report, which stated that one in four U.K. consumers are willing to pay more for premium frozen seafood while 89 percent believe the nutritional quality of frozen seafood products has improved.
“The freezer is becoming one of the most exciting spaces for seafood innovation,” Stabell said. “This is a structural change, not a short-term trend, and Norwegian suppliers are well-positioned to help drive the next phase of growth.”
As a result of consumer preferences, buyers are looking for innovation across categories, Marston said.
“There's an opportunity to take the ‘big five’ species and grow innovation around them,” he said. “We're seeing that from the likes of Young’s and Birds Eye where their ranges are changing in terms of offerings; they’re taking advantage of world cuisine trends. While the big five can capitalize on that, there are also opportunities for other species, too.”
