Fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable seafood all were strong performers in the U.S. grocery scene in August 2021.
August is the first month in which the grocery market’s frozen food department had higher sales than its 2020 peaks, with sales up nearly 4 percent, according to new data from IRI and 210 Analytics.
Frozen meat, poultry, and seafood, along with frozen meals, were big drivers of the strong performance, 210 Analytics Principal Anne-Marie Roerink told SeafoodSource. Seafood was the largest-gaining protein, sporting sales of USD 667 million (EUR 564 million). Sales in the frozen seafood category rose a mere 1.4 percent compared to August 2020 due to pandemic stock-up buying, but surged 41 percent compared to August 2019.
The biggest gainer was frozen raw shrimp, which realized a sales bump of 2.7 percent compared to August 2020 and a spike of 52.6 percent compared to August 2019.
Total fresh seafood sales dropped slightly (0.8 percent) compared to 2020, driven by shellfish sales plummeting 9.8 percent, while finfish sales climbed 5.1 percent.
“Shellfish had a tremendous 2020 and thus a much harder path for continued growth in 2021. That results in sales still tracking about 10 percent below year-ago levels,” Roerink said. “Finfish had a strong 2020 also, but gains were far below those of shellfish. When compared to the pre-pandemic 2019, sales are still double-digits ahead. Finfish sales were also aided by a small increase in assortment, whereas the number of items per store were down 5.2 percent for shellfish.”
Seafood departments across the U.S. grocery market are currently dealing with out-of-stocks and stock-keeping unit (SKUs) reduction amid significant supply chain woes, Roerink said.
Salmon was again the big seller in the fresh seafood department, accounting for 36 percent of all fresh seafood sales and boasting the highest percentage growth versus year ago – an increase of 8.2 percent.
Sales of shrimp, catfish, tilapia, cod, and smoked salmon also increased in August 2021 compared to August 2020, while scallop sales plunged 23.3 percent.
Photo courtesy of TonelsonProduction/Shutterstock
