Seafood sales rose 1.5 percent to USD 5.1 billion (EUR 4.4 billion) for the 52 weeks ending 5 May, according to a new Nielsen report. Meanwhile, fresh seafood units dropped 1.3 percent to 700 million.
Total sales in perimeter departments – bakery, deli, produce, meat, and seafood – soared to USD 178 billion (EUR 153 billion) for the 52 weeks ending 5 May, representing growth 14 times that of all fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) food and beverage online.
“Consumers consistently give fresh foods high marks. Today, 87.6 percent of consumers believe that fresh food is ‘better for you,’” Steven Johnson, grocerant guru at Seattle, Washington-based consultancy Foodservice Solutions, told SeafoodSource. “The halo of ‘better for you’ in the minds-eye of the consumer shows no signs of abating.”
Fresh seafood sales are benefitting from a more efficient supply chain and the fact that consumers are seeking protein entrees that are fresh, local, and contain fewer calories, Johnson said.
The deli and meat departments are the fastest growing perimeter departments in U.S. supermarkets, Nielsen found, with delis realizing more than USD 875 million (EUR 750 million) in growth over the past year. Sales of meal kits, for example, soared 28.6 percent.
“Among ready-made options for consumers that fulfill their needs for convenient meal solutions, we’ve seen a plethora of hearty dishes top our list of high-performing deli prepared foods,” Nielsen said. “From fresh prepared meal kits to protein-centric main course dishes containing chicken or pork, the allure of having an entire meal occasion taken care of, seems to be driving performance here.”
Leading grocery chains, including Publix, Hannaford, and Albertsons have all launched seafood-containing meal kits over the past year or more.
Grocery stores originally ventured into the ready-to-eat seafood market by offering daily or weekly specials on prepared seafood dishes. “Consumers tried them, liked them, and wanted more. Now, they are telling the story of seafood,” Johnson said.
In addition to crab cakes, marinated and breaded fish fillets, sushi, and other items, more grocery chains are adding poke dishes to their deli and seafood departments.
Supermarkets could also sell more fresh seafood by portioning seafood for one person “and make multiple options available daily to be included into meal kits,” Johnson said. For example, for summer grilling season, fresh Copper River salmon, halibut, and tuna can be portioned for one, and be packaged ready for the grill.
However, not all deli seafood items are growing. Sales of tuna salad sandwiches dropped by 7.5 percent over the past year, while sales of tuna salad declined 6.6 percent, according to Nielsen.
“Consumers are seeking to fulfill an entire meal occasion in many cases. Therefore, converting that purchase may come down to whether a dish can appear elevated enough to warrant the tradeoff of purchasing it pre-prepared, in exchange for time-savings and convenience of an in-home effort [such as a meal kit],” Nielsen said.
Tuna salad sandwiches are not perceived as fresh and some consumers believe they are “so yesterday,” according to a recent Foodservice Solutions Grocerant Scorecard.
“Consumers are in search of fresh foods, as they have a contemporary relevance to consumers,” Johnson said.
Photo courtesy of East Oahu Sun
