Canned and pouched salmon product sales were the lone bright spot for the seafood industry in new retail data from research firms IRI and 210 Analytics.
Ambient seafood sales dropped 15.5 percent year-over-year for the first eight months of 2021, suffering due to a comparison with 2020’s COVID-19 buying spree. In August, shelf-stable seafood sales dropped 3.1 percent to USD 252 million (EUR 215 million) compared to August 2020, but rose 3.3 percent compared to August 2019. However, canned and pouched salmon sales declined only 0.8 percent this August compared to August 2020, and surged 14 percent compared to August 2019.
“It is interesting to note that consumers have adopted other shelf-stable seafood options as well during COVID,” Chicken of the Sea International Executive Vice President of Commercial Andy Mecs told The Food Institute.“Skinless boneless salmon and sardines particularly resonate with the younger demographics, including millennials.”
Chicken of the Sea’s salmon sales have skyrocketed 25.2 percent for the year-to-date versus 2019, while sardine sales surged 24 percent, according to Mecs.
Sales of tuna at Chicken of the Sea, a division of Thai Union Group, are also up 1.8 percent for the year compared to 2019, but have fallen compared to 2020.
“Some consumers are still de-loading their pantries, but others continue to buy at a brisk pace,” Mecs said.
Tuna continues to have staying power with American consumers as a healthy protein and a quick, convenient meal or snack, he said.
Shelf-stable tuna sales dropped 4.9 percent in August compared to 2020, but declined only 0.4 percent versus 2019, according to IRI and 210 Analytics.
Another big seller is shelf-stable clams. While sales of the shellfish dropped 10.3 percent in August compared to 2020, they soared 13.7 percent versus 2019.
Chart courtesy of IRI/210 Analytics
