Thanks to the surge in Americans eating high protein diets and GLP-1-friendly foods, sales of tinned fish are soaring, according to new data.
The share of Instacart searches containing the word “protein” rose 12.7 percent in the first half of this year versus the first half of 2025, while searches for “fiber” jumped 26.4 percent. “Protein-maxxing” and “fiber-maxxing” – new terms coined by social media – are not happening in a vacuum, either, with GLP-1s contributing to the trend.
“The rise of GLP-1 medications has pushed protein and fiber to the center of the national food conversation, as people on these drugs are widely advised to prioritize protecting muscle mass and supporting digestion,” Instacart said in its report, The Macro Moment: How Protein and Fiber are Taking Over America’s Carts.
As a result, canned sardine sales on Instacart jumped 51 percent in the first half of 2026, while canned tuna sales rose 6 percent. Leading the tinned fish surge on Instacart during the period are brands such as Patagonia Provisions, which saw a whopping 3,918 percent sales growth; Sea Castle, which realized 810 percent growth; Sea Tales, which saw a surge of 803 percent; and Fishwife, which saw an increase of 68 percent.
Overall, ambient seafood sales have been on a growth trajectory in the U.S. for two years or more. Even though inflation on shelf-stable seafood rose 11 percent in July, sales by value in the category rose 15.2 percent to USD 308 million (EUR 265 million) on the back of 4.5 percent volume sales growth, per Circana data analyzed by 210 Analytics.
While tuna accounted for the majority of the category sales in July, other species had double-digit growth. For instance, anchovies sales increased in value by 38 and 24.4 percent by volume. Canned salmon also performed well, with sales value rising 20.5 percent, and sales volume rising 10.4 percent.
Notably, of the 10 categories that gained the most share of items sold on Instacart in the first half of 2026, eight are high in protein or fiber. In addition to seafood, sales of chicken breast increased 6 percent, chicken thighs grew 12 percent, and ground beef increased 4 percent.
Additionally, “people can’t get enough of grab-and-go protein snacks,” Instacart said, noting that sales of protein drinks inclined 15 percent, while cottage cheese sales were up 10 percent and protein bar sales rose 9 percent.
In the center aisle, sales of Cheerios Protein grew 157 percent year over year, while Eggo Protein Waffles jumped 101 percent.
