Frozen and shelf-stable seafood sales are still growing significantly in grocery stores, while fresh seafood sales are also growing, but at a slower pace.
Frozen seafood sales surged 33 percent to nearly USD 1.4 billion (EUR 1.3 billion) for the week ending 4 April, compared to the same week in 2019, according to Nielsen data provided to SeafoodSource. In addition, frozen seafood sales climbed a significant 58.5 percent for the four weeks ending 4 April.
Nearly every frozen seafood species realized increases, but the biggest gainers for the week of 4 April were crab (up 81 percent), lobster (up 53.6 percent), and catfish (up 42.5 percent).
Shelf-stable (canned and pouched) seafood product sales soared 22 percent for the week of 4 April, to around USD 5.5 billion (EUR 5 billion) and increased 48 percent for the four weeks ending 4 April. The largest gainers in shelf-stable seafood for the week of 4 April were salmon (up 65 percent), clams (up 55.5 percent), and tuna (up 46 percent).
Fresh/chilled seafood sales rose 4.8 percent for the week ending 4 April to around USD 116 million (EUR 106 million). Fresh sales climbed 14.2 percent for the month ending 4 April, according to Nielsen.
Sales of several fresh species declined for the week of 4 April, including crawfish and crayfish (down 36.3 percent), perch (down 30 percent), and scallops (down 16.4 percent).
Photo courtesy of Sergey Ryzhov/Shutterstock
