US retail seafood sales fell in December 2024 despite overall grocery sales increase

“The resilience of the U.S. consumer should hopefully remain part of the dominant narrative."
A grocery store in Georgia, U.S.A.
Though seafood sales dipped in December 2024, overall grocery sales rose nearly 4.3 percent | Photo courtesy of Bill F Blume Jr/Shutterstock
6 Min

U.S. retail seafood sales didn't experience the bump in December 2024 that they typically expect for an end-of-year holiday season, according to new data.

Total fresh seafood sales dropped 5.4 percent by value in December 2024 compared to December 2023, dipping to USD 738 million (EUR 722 million), while Sales by volume dropped 8.2 percent, according to Circana data provided by 210 Analytics in Lakeland, Florida, U.S.A. 

The drop, according to Circana, was largely fueled by a 12.6 percent decline in fresh shellfish sales.

Frozen seafood sales also declined 4.4 percent by value to USD 666 million (EUR 652 million), while sales by volume declined 1.9 percent. 

Even shelf-stable seafood sales, a category which had been experiencing positive sales trends in recent months, declined 1.2 percent by value to USD 226 million (EUR 221 million) for the month. Sales by volume rose 2.5 percent.

Fresh seafood price inflation rose 3 percent compared to December 2023, led by a 6.9 percent jump in fresh shellfish prices. On the other hand, frozen seafood prices dropped 2.5 percent, and shelf-stable seafood prices decreased 3.6 percent, likely fueling the lower sales figures by value for both categories.

Part of the sales decline can be attributed to this year’s December data being cut off


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