Norway’s seafood exporters will seek to capitalize on the rising demand for their products from consumers across the United Kingdom by putting a stronger focus on developing retail sales in 2020, the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) has confirmed.
Speaking at the Norwegian UK Seafood Summit 2020, held in London, NSC U.K. Director Hans Frode Kielland Asmyhr said 2019 was a very strong year for Norwegian seafood in the U.K. market, with the council’s own analysis confirming that the demand for these products continues to rise.
According to the NSC’s data, the United Kingdom, which is the fourth-largest market for Norwegian seafood, increased its imports of Norwegian products by 7 percent in volume and 3 percent in value last year. The council also identified that the three species – cod, haddock, and salmon – accounted for 40 percent of the overall U.K. seafood market and that Norway provided almost 35 percent of such fish, meaning some 180,000 metric tons (MT) in total.
“We have been working closely with the industries that import our seafood; with leading retailers, distributers, the fish and chip industry that serves up the national dish, and some leading chefs. All of them are importing more of our products and [regard] them as sustainable and of high quality,” Asmyhr said.
Of these exports, Norwegian currently cod has a 24 percent market share, following behind Russia and Iceland with 32 percent and 25 percent, respectively. Norway is the largest haddock supplier to the U.K. market with a 33 percent share, ahead of Russia (23 percent) and Iceland (13 percent).
“We had record-high prices on whitefish and the direct export of whole frozen cod was up 64 percent from 2018,” Asmyhr said.
Salmon consumption by U.K. consumers is increasing, with the estimated total market of 145,000 MT among the largest in the E.U., found the NSC, adding that the “lion’s share” of salmon in the U.K. market is imported, and despite increasing competition – particularly from Scotland – Norway still has a 56 percent share.
In addition to continuing to support the fish and chip sector, the NSC will step up its promotions in retail, Asmyhr explained. This will be supported by country-of-origin messaging, with the hope of building a stronger preference for Norwegian products among shoppers.
“We believe that we should be much more focused on origin in U.K. retail, because origin matters. Consumers should have a choice of origin when buying seafood in U.K. retail," he said. "Last autumn, we had an excellent partnership with Asda, highlighting the origins of Norwegian cod and haddock in their stores, and we hope to develop this cooperation with other retailers and partners this year."
Photo courtesy of Jason Holland/SeafoodSource
Photo courtesy of the Norwegian Seafood Council
