A bevy of ready-to-eat shrimp products is hitting the market, helped by plentiful supplies and American shoppers continuing to favor convenience.
Due to an import influx in recent years, U.S. wholesalers have been eager to move their shrimp inventory, but struggled earlier this year due to inflation peeling back consumer spending in both the retail and foodservice arenas. Recently, however, frozen retail shrimp prices have “finally started to mirror the trends at wholesale more and more,” 210 Analytics Principal Anne-Marie Roerink said, citing a 7.8 percent price drop in August that may make it easier to move product through new promotions and offerings.
Seafood suppliers are taking advantage of lower wholesale prices and the huge inventory available when planning new product launches, and they’re also attempting to kickstart a retail market that performed poorly all summer despite continued deflation, according to Roerink. Roerink previously attributed recent sales dips to consumers eating out more, but as summer comes to an end, retailers and seafood companies are working to introduce innovative offerings that entice Americans to make more meals at home.
Celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, SeaPak Shrimp and Seafood is rolling out a new Dynamite Shrimp offering, composed of crispy popcorn shrimp with a spicy chili sauce. After cooking the shrimp in a conventional oven or air fryer, customers can use the separately packed chili sauce to “sauce and toss” the shrimp in a bowl or dip individual shrimp directly into the sauce, depending on how much flavor and spice they prefer, SeaPak said.
The product aligns with a growing trend of consumer interest in spicy foods, as well as consistent growth in Asian-style frozen snacks and foods, according to the Saint Simons Island, Georgia, U.S.A.-based company. The product takes its cue from bang-bang shrimp, which has seen a 119 percent increase in placement on U.S. restaurant menus over the past four years, according to Datassential.
“We know that so many consumers are familiar with and love the bold, spicier flavors they get in restaurants, so we wanted to create a product that would allow them to bring that experience home,” said Ciera Womack, the director of marketing and seafood for the consumer brands division of Rich Products Corp., the parent company of SeaPak.
Other Asian-inspired SeaPak products include shrimp fried rice bites, tempura shrimp, and shrimp spring rolls.
Elsewhere, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A.-based Prime Shrimp recently rolled out New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp. The company is attempting to coax consumers who prioritize convenience away from meat and toward seafood. And Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.A.-based The Choice Group’s Tastee Choice brand, which offers a wide variety of frozen shrimp skillet meals and seafood boil options, is adding also new breaded and battered frozen shrimp products to its lineup.
After a successful launch of breaded butterfly and coconut butterfly shrimp earlier this year, the company is releasing several new frozen offerings later this year, The Choice Group COO Tom Domino told SeafoodSource, including extra large shrimp scampi covered in butter garlic sauce; jumbo popcorn shrimp; jumbo tempura shrimp; extra-large boom-boom shrimp; and jumbo beer-battered shrimp. The products – available in both private-label and branded versions – retail for a suggested USD 3.99 to USD 5.99 (EUR 3.77 to EUR 5.66) each, representing great value for consumers, according to Domino.
Downey, California, U.S.A.-based Del Pacifico Seafoods is also presenting a value-priced option for shoppers in the form of a new farmed shrimp burger. Del Pacifico launched its wild shrimp burger last fall, and now, the company wants to provide a sustainable, affordable farmed shrimp option, Del Pacifico CEO Roberto Aguilar told SeafoodSource.
“We’re really excited about its potential reception. The farmed shrimp burger addresses evolving consumer preferences for more sustainable and affordable options,” Aguilar said.
Del Pacifico’s farmed shrimp burgers are Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC)-certified. The company raises responsibly farmed, chemical-free shrimp on the coast of Sonora, Mexico, ASC North America Marketing Manager Athena Davis told SeafoodSource.
“Led by a commitment to improved sustainability and traceability, their [Del Pacifico’s] ASC-certified farming practices help preserve the viability of both farmed and wild shrimp populations,” Davis said.
Photo courtesy of SeaPak
