Table of Contents
Scope and Themes
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- What you need to know
- Definition
- Data sources
- Sales data
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Executive Summary
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- Overview
- Steady growth projected into 2018
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of fish and seafood, at current prices, 2008-18
- Market largely driven by fish’s reputation as a healthy food
- Blacks, Asians most likely to use fish in household
- Household income drives sales
- Fresh fish and seafood dominates among three segments
- Key players
- MULO market divided among 10 top companies
- Private label outsells all individual companies
- The consumer
- More than seven in 10 use any fish/seafood in the household
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- Figure 2: Fish and seafood use, January 2012-March 2013
- A third are eating more fish than a year ago, but consumption could increase further
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- Figure 3: Change in seafood consumption behavior in past year, July 2013
- Four in 10 do not eat fish/eat it rarely because they prefer restaurant fish
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- Figure 4: Reasons for not eating fish, July 2013
- Sustainability, ethical practices are important to many consumers
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- Figure 5: Factors influencing seafood purchase, July 2013
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Can retail fish and seafood compete with restaurants?
- Insight: Brands must provide restaurant-style prepared fish
- How can seafood specialty stores compete with supermarkets and mass?
- Insight: Emphasize expertise and provide value
- How can brands encourage more trial of different seafood types?
- Insight: Educate consumers about which fish taste similar
Trend Applications
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- Trend: Prove It
- Trend: Life Hacking
- Mintel Futures: East Meets West
Market Size and Forecast
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- Key points
- Steady but moderate growth
- Sales expected to grow by 4.1% in 2014 and reach $19.5 billion by 2018
- Sales and forecast of fish and seafood
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- Figure 6: US sales and forecast of fish and seafood, at current prices, 2008-18
- Figure 7: US sales and forecast of fish and seafood, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2008-18
- Fan chart forecast
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- Figure 8: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of fish and seafood, at current prices, 2008-18
Market Drivers
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- Key points
- Slow economic rebound impacts sales of expensive items like seafood
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- Figure 9: Change in seafood consumption behavior in past year, July 2013
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- Figure 10: Change in seafood consumption behavior in past year (eating more/same amount), by household income, July 2013
- Fish’s healthy halo makes it a nutritious meal option
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- Figure 11: Omega-3 and mercury content in specific fish/seafood species, per 3-oz portion
- Household income drives sales
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- Figure 12: Fish and seafood use, by household income, January 2012-March 2013
- Frozen prepared seafood represents an affordable option for low-income households
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- Figure 13: Frozen prepared seafood use, by household income, January 2012-March 2013
- Black, Asian households most likely to use fish/seafood
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- Figure 14: Fish and seafood use, by race/Hispanic origin, January 2012-March 2013
- Blacks most likely to use frozen prepared seafood
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- Figure 15: Frozen prepared seafood use, by race/Hispanic origin, January 2012-March 2013
Competitive Context
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- Other meat proteins vie for market share
- Restaurants challenge food stores for fish consumers
Segment Performance
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- Key points
- Fresh fish and seafood holds 56% share
- Frozen grows 7.6%, based on convenience
- Shelf-stable grows 5.2%
- Sales of fish and seafood, by segment
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- Figure 16: US retail sales of fish and seafood, segmented by type, at current prices, 2011 and 2013
Segment Performance—Fresh Fish and Seafood
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- Key points
- Growth increases pace between 2008 and 2013
- Sales and forecast of fresh fish and seafood
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- Figure 17: Total US retail sales and forecast of fresh fish and seafood, at current prices, 2008-18
Segment Performance—Frozen Fish and Seafood
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- Key points
- Frozen fish set to grow further as consumers recognize its convenience
- Sales and forecast of frozen fish and seafood
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- Figure 18: Total US retail sales and forecast of frozen fish and seafood, at current prices, 2008-18
Segment Performance—Shelf-stable Fish and Seafood
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- Key points
- Shelf-stable growth slows in 2013
- Sales and forecast of shelf-stable fish and seafood
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- Figure 19: Total US retail sales and forecast of shelf-stable fish and seafood, at current prices, 2008-18
Retail Channels
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- Key points
- Supermarkets comprise more than 26% of the market
- Other channel sales spike 10% between 2011 and 2013
- Sales of fish and seafood, by channel
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- Figure 20: Total US retail sales of fish and seafood, by channel, at current prices, 2011 and 2013
- Figure 21: US supermarket sales of fish and seafood, 2008-13
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- Figure 22: US other channel sales of fish and seafood, 2008-13
Leading Companies
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- Key points
- 10 top companies; only four comprise more than 5% of the MULO market
- Chicken of the Sea International sales due mostly to shelf-stable tuna
- Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd. rounds out top four companies
- Other companies swim against the current to reach top four
- Private label is the biggest fish in the pond
- Manufacturer sales of fish and seafood
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- Figure 23: Manufacturer sales of fish and seafood, 2012 and 2013
Brand Share—Frozen Seafood
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- Key points
- Gorton’s leads name brands but comprises only 9% share
- Other brands account for less than 5% of the segment
- Private label is the biggest fish in the frozen pond
- Manufacturer sales of frozen seafood
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- Figure 24: Manufacturer sales of frozen seafood, 2012 and 2013
Brand Share—Shelf-stable Seafood
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- Key points
- The battle of the tuna cans
- Private label grows 7.4%
- Manufacturer sales of shelf-stable seafood
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- Figure 25: Manufacturer sales of shelf-stable seafood, 2012 and 2013
Brand Share—Refrigerated Seafood
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- Key points
- Trans-Ocean tops segment, drops 4.6%
- Vita declines 9.1%
- Louis Kemp grows sales for Trident Seafoods; Ocean Beauty grows 3.6%
- Private label outsells every name brand
- Manufacturer sales of refrigerated seafood
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- Figure 26: Manufacturer sales of refrigerated seafood, 2012 and 2013
Innovations and Innovators
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- Brands meet demand for easy preparation, ethical standards
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- Figure 27: Fish and seafood product claims, 2008-13
- Prepared products make cooking easy
- Environmentally-friendly claims factor in consumer product selection
- Canned fish brands spice up their products
Marketing Strategies
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- Overview of the brand landscape
- Theme: Healthy eating equated to healthy living
- StarKist TV ad
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- Figure 28: StarKist Albacore White Tuna in Water television ad, 2013
- Bumble Bee TV ad
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- Figure 29: Bumble Bee SuperFresh television ad, 2013
- Theme: Ease of preparation
- Gorton’s TV ad
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- Figure 30: Gorton’s Simply Bake television ad, 2013
- Sea Cuisine TV ad
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- Figure 31: Sea Cuisine Tortilla Crusted Tilapia television ad, 2013
- Theme: Freshness
- SeaPak TV ad
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- Figure 32: SeaPak television ad, 2013
Social Media
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- Key points
- Social media metrics
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- Figure 33: Key social media metrics, Sept. 2013
- Market overview
- Brand usage and awareness
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- Figure 34: Brand usage and awareness levels for selected fish and seafood brands, July 2013
- Interaction with fish and seafood brands
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- Figure 35: interaction levels for selected fish and seafood brands, July 2013
- Online conversations
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- Figure 36: Online mentions around selected fish and seafood brands, by day, Oct. 1, 2012-Sept. 30, 2013
- Where are people talking about fish and seafood?
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- Figure 37: Online mentions around selected fish and seafood brands, by page type, Oct. 1, 2012-Sept. 30, 2013
- What are people talking about?
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- Figure 38: Topics of discussion among the selected fish and seafood brands, Oct. 1, 2012-Sept. 30, 2013
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- Figure 39: Topics of discussion among the selected fish and seafood brands, by day, Oct. 1, 2012-Sept. 30, 2013
- Analysis by brand
- Chicken of the Sea
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- Figure 40: Social media metrics—Chicken of the Sea, Sept. 2013
- Key online campaigns
- What we think
- StarKist
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- Figure 41: Social media metrics—StarKist, Sept. 2013
- Key online campaigns
- What we think
- Bumble Bee
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- Figure 42: Social media metrics—Bumble Bee, Sept. 2013
- Key online campaigns
- What we think
- Gorton’s
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- Figure 43: Social media metrics—Gorton’s, Sept. 2013
- Key online campaigns
- What we think
- SeaPak
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- Figure 44: Social media metrics—SeaPak, Sept. 2013
- Key online campaigns
- What we think
- King Oscar
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- Figure 45: Social media metrics—King Oscar, Sept. 2013
- Key online campaigns
- What we think
Household Usage of Fish/Seafood
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- Key points
- Nearly three quarters use fish and seafood in the household
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- Figure 46: Fish and seafood use, by age, January 2012-March 2013
- Respondents aged 75 and older report least household use of frozen fish
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- Figure 47: Frozen prepared seafood use, by age, January 2012-March 2013
Fish and Shellfish Consumption Frequency
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- Key points
- Three quarters eat fish at least once a month
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- Figure 48: Fish consumption frequency, July 2013
- 18-34s most likely to eat any fish three or more times per week
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- Figure 49: Fish consumption frequency, by age, July 2013
Consumption Compared to Last Year
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- Key points
- A third eating more fish than last year; only 14% eating more shellfish
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- Figure 50: Change in seafood consumption behavior in past year, July 2013
- $100K+ most likely to be eating more fish/shellfish than a year ago
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- Figure 51: Change in seafood consumption behavior in past year (eating more/same amount), by household income, July 2013
Factors Influencing Increased Seafood Consumption
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- Key points
- Price is still the most significant factor in increased seafood consumption
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- Figure 52: Factors influencing increased seafood consumption, by gender, July 2013
- 55+s most influenced by price
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- Figure 53: Factors influencing increased seafood consumption, by age, July 2013
Seafood Purchases in the Last Three Months
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- Key points
- 45+s most likely to have bought shellfish in the last three months
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- Figure 54: Seafood purchased in past three months, by age, July 2013
- 75K+ most likely to have bought shellfish in the last three months
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- Figure 55: Seafood purchased in past 3 months, by household income, July 2013
- More than a third say they bought domestic seafood in the last three months
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- Figure 56: Characteristics of seafood bought in past 3 months, by age, July 2013
Type and Frequency of Seafood Eaten at Home
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- Key points
- Respondents most likely to eat canned or pouched fish in water monthly
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- Figure 57: Type and frequency of seafood eaten at home, July 2013
- 18-34s most likely to eat a range of fish and seafood types at least monthly
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- Figure 58: Monthly seafood usage, by age, July 2013
- Presence of children means more monthly (or more) fish consumption
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- Figure 59: Monthly seafood usage, by presence of children in household, July 2013
- Respondents who say organic is important most likely to eat a range of fish
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- Figure 60: Type and frequency of seafood eaten at home—monthly, by important factors influencing seafood purchase (any important), July 2013
Reasons for Not Eating Fish
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- Key points
- Four in 10 prefer fish from a restaurant
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- Figure 61: Reasons for not eating fish, by gender, July 2013
- 55+s most likely to prefer fish in a restaurant
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- Figure 62: Reasons for not eating fish, by age, July 2013
Where Consumers Most Often Buy Seafood
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- Key points
- More than half buy fish/shellfish at supermarkets
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- Figure 63: Where consumers buy seafood most often, by age, July 2013
- Households with children most likely to use mass stores
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- Figure 64: Where consumers buy seafood most often, by presence of children in household, July 2013
Attitudes Toward Seafood
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- Key points
- More than half are willing to pay more for fish that is in season
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- Figure 65: Consumer attitudes toward seafood, July 2013
- More affluent respondents are most likely to spend on fresh, try new types
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- Figure 66: Consumer attitudes toward seafood (any agree), by household income, July 2013
Factors Influencing Seafood Purchase
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- Key points
- Seven in 10 say it is important to select fish that are not endangered
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- Figure 67: Factors influencing seafood purchase, July 2013
- 18-24s most likely to say sustainability is important when selecting seafood
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- Figure 68: Important factors influencing seafood purchase, by age, July 2013
Impact of Race and Hispanic Origin
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- Key points
- Black and Asian respondents most apt to eat any fish type in a month
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- Figure 69: Fish consumption frequency, by race/Hispanic origin, July 2013
- Black, Asian, and Hispanic respondents most likely to eat a range of fish
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- Figure 70: Monthly seafood usage, by race/Hispanic origin, July 2013
- Black respondents looking for greater variety
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- Figure 71: Factors influencing increased seafood consumption, by race/Hispanic origin, July 2013
Consumer Segmentation
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- Figure 72: Fish and seafood clusters, June, 2013
- Group one: Frequently Fishy
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunities
- Group two: Fresh Fish
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunities
- Group three: Skimpy Shrimp
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunities
- Group four: Average Anemones
- Demographics
- Characteristics
- Opportunities
- Cluster characteristic tables
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- Figure 73: Target clusters, June 2013
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- Figure 74: Fish consumption frequency, by target clusters, July 2013
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- Figure 75: Seafood purchased in past 3 months, by target clusters, July 2013
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- Figure 76: Characteristics of seafood bought in past 3 months, by target clusters, July 2013
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- Figure 77: Monthly seafood usage, by target clusters, July 2013
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- Figure 78: Where consumers buy seafood most often, by target clusters, July 2013
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- Figure 79: Agreement with consumer attitudes toward seafood, by target clusters, July 2013
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- Figure 80: Important factors influencing seafood purchase, by target clusters, July 2013
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- Figure 81: Factors influencing increased seafood consumption, by target clusters, July 2013
- Cluster demographic tables
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- Figure 82: Target clusters, by demographic, July 2013
- Cluster methodology
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Key Household Purchase Measures—Information Resources Inc. Builders Panel Data
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- Frozen seafood
- Frozen fish/seafood
- Consumer insights on key purchase measures—frozen fish/seafood
- Brand map
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- Figure 83: Brand map, selected brands of frozen fish/seafood buying rate, by household penetration, 2012*
- Brand leader characteristics
- Key purchase measures
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- Figure 84: Key purchase measures for the top brands of frozen fish/seafood, by household penetration, 2012*
- Frozen cooked shrimp
- Consumer insights on key purchase measures—frozen cooked shrimp
- Brand map
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- Figure 85: Brand map, selected brands of frozen cooked shrimp buying rate, by household penetration, 2012*
- Brand leader characteristics
- Key purchase measures
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- Figure 86: Key purchase measures for the top brands of frozen cooked shrimp, by household penetration, 2012*
- Frozen raw shrimp
- Brand map
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- Figure 87: Brand map, selected brands of frozen raw shrimp buying rate, by household penetration, 2012*
- Brand leader characteristics
- Key purchase measures
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- Figure 88: Key purchase measures for the top brands of frozen raw shrimp, by household penetration, 2012*
- Shelf-stable seafood
- Canned tuna
- Brand map
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- Figure 89: Brand map, selected brands of canned tuna buying rate, by household penetration, 2012*
- Brand leader characteristics
- Key purchase measures
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- Figure 90: Key purchase measures for the top brands of canned tuna, by household penetration, 2012*
- Canned salmon
- Brand map
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- Figure 91: Brand map, selected brands of canned salmon buying rate, by household penetration, 2012*
- Brand leader characteristics
- Key purchase measures
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- Figure 92: Key purchase measures for the top brands of canned salmon, by household penetration, 2012*
- Refrigerated seafood
- Consumer insights on key purchase measures—refrigerated seafood
- Brand map
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- Figure 93: Brand map, selected brands of refrigerated seafood buying rate, by household penetration, 2012*
- Brand leader characteristics
- Key purchase measures
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- Figure 94: Key purchase measures for the top brands of refrigerated seafood, by household penetration, 2012*
Appendix – Market Drivers
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- Consumer confidence
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- Figure 95: University of Michigan’s index of consumer sentiment (ICS), 2007-13
- Unemployment
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- Figure 96: US unemployment rate, by month, 2002-13
- Figure 97: US unemployment and underemployment rates, 2007-13
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- Figure 98: Number of employed civilians in US, in thousands, 2007-13
- Food cost pressures
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- Figure 99: Changes in USDA Food Price Indexes, 2011-14
- Obesity
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- Figure 100: American adults by weight category as determined by BMI (body mass index), 2008-June 20, 2013
- Childhood and teen obesity—highest in decades
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- Figure 101: Prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents aged 2-19, 1971-2010
- Racial, ethnic population growth
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- Figure 102: US population by race and Hispanic origin, 2008, 2013, and 2018
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- Figure 103: Households with children, by race and Hispanic origin of householder, 2012
- Shifting US demographics
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- Figure 104: US population, by age, 2008-18
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- Figure 105: US households, by presence of own children, 2002-12
Appendix – Other Useful Consumer Tables
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- Household usage of fish/seafood
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- Figure 106: Kinds of frozen prepared seafood eaten, by age, January 2012-March 2013
- Fish and shellfish consumption frequency
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- Figure 107: Fish consumption frequency, by gender, July 2013
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- Figure 108: Fish consumption frequency, by household income, July 2013
- Factors influencing increased seafood consumption
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- Figure 109: Factors influencing increased seafood consumption, by household income, July 2013
- Type and frequency of seafood eaten at home
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- Figure 110: Monthly seafood usage, by gender, July 2013
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- Figure 111: Monthly seafood usage, by household income, July 2013
- Where consumers most often buy seafood
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- Figure 112: Where consumers buy seafood most often, by household income, July 2013
- Attitudes toward seafood
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- Figure 113: Consumer attitudes toward seafood (any agree), by gender, July 2013
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- Figure 114: Consumer attitudes toward seafood (any agree), by age, July 2013
- Impact of race and Hispanic origin
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- Figure 115: Meat/seafood purchased in past 3 months, by race/Hispanic origin, July 2013
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- Figure 116: Where consumers buy seafood most often, by race/Hispanic origin, July 2013
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- Figure 117: Consumer attitudes toward seafood (any agree), by race/Hispanic origin, July 2013
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- Figure 118: Important factors influencing seafood purchase, by race/Hispanic origin, July 2013
Appendix – Social Media
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- Brand usage or awareness
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- Figure 119: Brand usage or awareness, July 2013
- Figure 120: Gorton’s usage or awareness, by demographics, July 2013
- Figure 121: StarKist usage or awareness, by demographics, July 2013
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- Figure 122: chicken of the sea usage or awareness, by demographics, July 2013
- Figure 123: Bumble bee usage or awareness, by demographics, July 2013
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- Figure 124: SeaPak usage or awareness, by demographics, July 2013
- Figure 125: King Oscar usage or awareness, by demographics, July 2013
- Activities done
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- Figure 126: Activities done, July 2013
- Figure 127: Gorton’s – Activities done, by demographics, July 2013
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- Figure 128: StarKist – Activities done, by demographics, July 2013
- Figure 129: Chicken of the sea – Activities done, by demographics, July 2013
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- Figure 130: Bumble Bee – Activities done, by demographics, July 2013
- Figure 131: SeaPak – Activities done, by demographics, July 2013
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- Figure 132: King oscar – Activities done, by demographics, July 2013
- Online conversations
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- Figure 133: Online mentions around selected fish and seafood brands, by day, October 1, 2012-Sept. 30, 2013
- Figure 134: Online mentions around selected fish and seafood brands, by page type, October 1, 2012-Sept. 30, 2013
- Figure 135: Topics of discussion among the selected fish and seafood brands, October 1, 2012-Sept. 30, 2013
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- Figure 136: Topics of discussion among the selected fish and seafood brands, by day, October 1, 2012-Sept. 30, 2013
Appendix – Information Resources Inc. Builders Panel Data Definitions
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- Information Resources Inc. Consumer Network Metrics
Appendix – Trade Associations
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