Though still highly popular in the U.K. retail channel, sales of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) have fallen foul of steady price inflation in recent years, with cost-conscious shoppers increasingly seeking out cheaper species and alternative proteins.
In 2013, haddock was the fourth bestselling seafood species in U.K. retail, though sales were already declining. The species fell to sixth place behind warmwater and coldwater shrimp in 2014 and remained in that position last year. In actual fact, provisional data supplied by the U.K. Seafish Authority finds that unit sales peaked in 2010 at 91.3 million, while the sales volume peaked a year later at 29,378 metric tons (MT) and the sales value reached its height in 2012 at GBP 246 million (USD 322.6 million, EUR 294.3 million).
Last year, retail sales of haddock were worth GBP 185.5 million (USD 243.3 million, EUR 221.9 million), based on unit sales of 59.5 million and a total volume of 18,142 MT. The average price in the channel was GBP 10.22 (USD 13.40, EUR 12.22) per kg or GBP 3.12 (USD 4.09, EUR 3.73) per unit.
In retail, haddock is mainly sold in chilled and frozen and both sectors experienced decline last year. Chilled sales fell 3.2 percent to GBP 131.8 million (USD 172.8 million, EUR 157.7 million), while frozen sales saw a steeper 5.4 percent decrease to GBP 53.7 million (USD 70.5 million, EUR 64.2 million).
Most of the haddock was sold in natural formats, i.e. products without other ingredients, the sales of which increased in both chilled and frozen. The other chilled segments that experienced growth last year were batter, dusted, meals and sauce. All of the frozen segments declined except natural and fingers.
The traditional smoked haddock format continued to be popular in 2015, accounting for 37 percent of the total sales value or GBP 68 million (USD 89.3 million, EUR 81.3 million).
According to Seafish, multiple retailers offered a total of 283 haddock products for sale during 2015, just over half of which were chilled with an average price that fell 4 percent to GBP 5.67 (USD 7.45, EUR 6.78) per unit. There were 127 frozen haddock products on sale and the average price increased 3 percent to GBP 3.46 (USD 4.54, EUR 4.14). Smoked haddock was included in 102 products or 36 percent of all haddock products.
Overall, the country’s haddock supply increased 2.5 percent in volume and 9.5 percent in first sale value last year to 76,422 MT and GBP 169.3 million (USD 222.4 million, EUR 202.5 million), respectively. These totals led to an average first sale value of GBP 2.22 (USD 2.95, EUR 2.66) per kg, up 6.8 percent.
Most of the haddock sold in the U.K. market comes from the Northeast Atlantic, mainly Iceland, Northeast Arctic and the North Sea.
