Young’s Seafood is rolling out six new chilled seafood products, including Chip Shop Beer Battered Cod Fillets. At the same time, the supplier is helping to fund a study on the effects of ghost-fishing gear.
Chilled seafood, which is dominated by retailer own-label products, has surged 9 percent in sales over the past year to BP 100 million (USD 123 million, EUR 112 million), Young’s said in a press release.
“There is a real opportunity for the brand in chilled seafood with battered fish penetration at just 5 percent compared to over 40 percent in frozen. We also see sea bass as one of seafood’s success stories over the last few years, but there are still over 9 million UK households who are cooking with fish but are not currently enjoying this delicious species,” said Yvonne Adam, marketing director at Young’s.
As a result, Young’s is launching Chip Shop Beer Battered Cod Fillets and Chip Shop Battered Haddock Fillets. The supplier is “aiming to drive more households into battered fish by bringing the authentic taste of the chippy to the chilled aisles,” Young’s said.
“The new chilled coated range is also supported with Young’s famous Wholetail Scampi, bringing the UK’s best-selling scampi to chilled cabinets for the first time,” Young’s added.
Meanwhile, Young’s is introducing a new species to the chilled brand with the addition of three added value seabass products: 2 Sea Bass fillets with a classic Lemon & Pepper Butter; 2 Sea Bass fillets with a Sundried Tomato and Garlic Butter; and 2 Sea Bass fillets with Sweet Chilli & Ginger Melt.
The new products will be available in select Asda stores in mid-September. In Sainsbury’s, Chip Shop Battered Haddock and Chip Shop Beer Battered Cod will be available starting in late September.
Meanwhile, Young’s is partnering with Sainsbury’s Supermarkets, Herriot-Watt University, and the Global Ghost Gear Initiative to fund a PhD into the effects of ghost-fishing gear and solutions to its challenges.
“Ghost gear is responsible for a huge amount of macroplastics in the ocean, it compromises yields and stocks in fisheries and can be a significant threat to food security. Young’s were an early supporter of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative and we’re now supporting this study to further help protect our seas and meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 by significantly reducing marine pollution,” said Cameron Moffat, Young’s marine biologist.
The PhD at Herriot-Watt University, The Sunday Times International University of the Year in 2018, will review the effects of ghost gear on marine animals, what it does to their habitats and will evaluate the effectiveness of various interventions.
