Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Sales stagnate in 2016, amid years of increases
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of fish and shellfish, at current prices, 2012-22
- Flavor deterring some
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- Figure 2: Reasons for purchase, September 2017
- The opportunities
- Suggestions could encourage purchase
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- Figure 3: Attitudes toward fish/shellfish preparation, any agree, by age, September 2017
- Packaging improvement potential
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- Figure 4: Increasing purchase, September 2017
- Hispanic Millennials may embrace affordable, sustainable options
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- Figure 5: Attitudes toward fish/shellfish, by Hispanic origin, September 2017
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Sales slow, growth should resume
- Frozen, shelf-stable face dim sales future, brighter prospects for fresh
- Sales of competitive proteins fall
- Regulators encourage fish consumption
Market Size and Forecast
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- Sales stagnate in 2016, amid years of increases
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- Figure 6: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of fish and shellfish, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 7: Total US retail sales and forecast of fish and shellfish, at current prices, 2012-22
Market Breakdown
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- Fresh factoring significantly in fish favorites
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- Figure 8: Total US retail sales and forecast of fish and shellfish, by segment, at current prices, 2012-22
Market Perspective
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- Poultry preferences
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- Figure 9: Consumption frequency, September 2017
- Figure 10: Changes in food price indexes, August 2015-16
- Lower red meat sales
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- Figure 11: US city average price per lb of 100% ground beef, Jan 2010-Aug 2016
- Fake fish attempts to leverage interest in meat alternatives
Market Factors
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- Health concerns could lead to fish consumption
- FDA, EPA fish consumption advice
- Mislabeling reputation could impact entire category
- Price-fixing scandal could negatively impact key shelf-stable brands
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- Fresh flourishes in a largely stagnant category
- Getting fresh
- Shelf-stable struggles
- Free-from claims gain environmental boost in fish/shellfish
Company and Brand Sales of Fish and Shellfish
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- Private label dominates market share, as StarKist merges health, flavor, and convenience
- Sales of fish and shellfish by company
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- Figure 12: MULO sales of fish and shellfish, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
What’s Working?
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- Fresher options fare well
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- Figure 13: Notable fresh fish introductions, 2017
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- Figure 14: Natural, convenient, environmentally friendly new fish/shellfish products, 2012-17
What’s Struggling?
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- Declines among most shelf-stable brands, save for StarKist
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- Figure 15: Total US retail sales and forecast of shelf-stable fish and shellfish, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 16: StarKist Kid's Creations Bacon Ranch Flavored Lightly Marinated Premium Chunk Light Tuna
What’s Next?
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- Free-from claims merging with environmental awareness
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- Figure 17: Better-for-you, environmental claims on fish/shellfish introductions, 2016-17
- Figure 18: Fish/shellfish launches with free-from and environmental claims, 2017
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Taste draws most consumers
- Taste turns some away
- Vast majority buy fish at supermarkets
- Avoiding hormones, antibiotics in fish/shellfish
- Nutritional, developmental boost draws parental interest
- Lures for fish/shellfish
Purchase
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- Fresh or frozen, fish remains most popular
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- Figure 19: Purchase of fish/shellfish, September 2017
- Mass merchandisers, natural supermarkets, online resonating strongly with younger consumers
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- Figure 20: Purchase location, by age, September 2017
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- Figure 21: Purchase location – Online, by age, September 2017
- Youngest consumers largely avoid category in grocery
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- Figure 22: Purchase of fish/shellfish, by age, September 2017
- Hispanic Millennials more likely to opt for fresh fish and shellfish
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- Figure 23: Purchase of fish/shellfish, by Hispanic origin, September 2017
Purchase Reasons
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- Taste leads purchase factors, health attributes factor strongly
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- Figure 24: Reasons for purchase, September 2017
- Taste resonating with older consumers in particular
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- Figure 25: Reasons for purchase, by age, September 2017
- Health, ease of cooking factor differently by race
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- Figure 26: Reasons for purchase, by race, September 2017
- Hispanic non-Millennials regard category as healthier than other proteins
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- Figure 27: Reasons for purchase, by Hispanic origin, September 2017
- Taste resonates most strongly across all segments
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- Figure 28: Purchase of fish/shellfish, by reasons for purchase, August 2017
Reasons for Avoidance
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- Taste, aroma, price top reasons for avoiding fish/shellfish
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- Figure 29: Reasons for avoidance, September 2017
- Taste, aroma deterring younger consumers; older consumers more likely to eat in restaurants
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- Figure 30: Reasons for avoidance, by age, September 2017
Purchase Location
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- Supermarkets remain the biggest fish/shellfish resource
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- Figure 31: Purchase location, September 2017
- Parents more likely to buy fish at mass merchandisers, club stores
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- Figure 32: Purchase location, by number of children under 18 in household, September 2017
Important Attributes
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- Quality factors most strongly in both frozen and fresh choices
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- Figure 33: Important attributes of frozen options, September 2017
- Figure 34: Important attributes of fresh options, September 2017
- Attribute importance varies across age ranges
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- Figure 35: Important attributes of any fish/shellfish, by age, September 2017
- Consumers seek to avoid hormones, antibiotics in fish/shellfish
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- Figure 36: Important free-from attributes of fish/shellfish, September 2017
- Nutritional aspects resonating with Hispanic Millennials
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- Figure 37: Important attributes of any fish/shellfish, by Hispanic origin, September 2017
Improvement Opportunities
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- Packaging improvements could boost category
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- Figure 38: Improvement opportunities, September 2017
- Flavor, health improvements could draw parents
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- Figure 39: Improvement opportunities, by number of children under 18 in household, September 2017
- Packaging innovation potential in all segments
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- Figure 40: Purchase of fish/shellfish, by improvement opportunities, August 2017
- Packaging improvements would resonate
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- Figure 41: TURF analysis – Improvement opportunities among all consumers, September 2017
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- Figure 42: TURF analysis – Improvement opportunities among fish/shellfish consumers, September 2017
Attitudes toward Preparation
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- Consumers confident in fish/shellfish preparation
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- Figure 43: Attitudes toward fish/shellfish preparation, September 2017
- Suggestions could influence purchase
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- Figure 44: Attitudes toward fish/shellfish preparation, any agree, by age, September 2017
- Hispanic Millennials express confidence in fish preparation
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- Figure 45: Attitudes toward fish/shellfish preparation, any agree, by Hispanic origin, September 2017
Attitudes toward Fish/Shellfish and Health
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- Consumers largely perceive fish as better-for-you
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- Figure 46: Attitudes toward fish/shellfish and health, September 2017
- Fish’s healthy attributes lost on younger consumers
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- Figure 47: Attitudes toward fish/shellfish and health, by age, September 2017
- Parents’ positive health regard for fish
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- Figure 48: Attitudes toward fish/shellfish and health, by number of children under 18 in household, September 2017
- Hispanics and the health of fish/shellfish
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- Figure 49: Attitudes toward fish/shellfish and health, by Hispanic origin, September 2017
Increasing Usage of Fish/Shellfish
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- Lower price, sustainability could lure consumers to fish
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- Figure 50: Attitudes toward fish/shellfish, September 2017
- Younger consumers seeking affordability, sustainability
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- Figure 51: Attitudes toward fish/shellfish, by age, September 2017
- Price, sustainability would resonate with Hispanic Millennials
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- Figure 52: Attitudes toward fish/shellfish, by Hispanic origin, September 2017
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Direct marketing creative
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 53: Total US retail sales and forecast of fish and shellfish, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 54: Total US retail sales of fish and shellfish, by segment, at current prices, 2015 and 2017
- Figure 55: Total US retail sales and forecast of fish and shellfish, by segment, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 56: Total US retail sales and forecast of fresh fish and shellfish, at current prices, 2012-22
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- Figure 57: Total US retail sales and forecast of fresh fish and shellfish, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 58: Total US retail sales and forecast of frozen fish and shellfish, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 59: Total US retail sales and forecast of frozen fish and shellfish, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 60: Total US retail sales and forecast of shelf-stable fish and shellfish, at current prices, 2012-22
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- Figure 61: Total US retail sales and forecast of shelf-stable fish and shellfish, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 62: Total US retail sales of fish and shellfish, by channel, at current prices, 2015 and 2017
- Figure 63: US supermarket sales of fish and shellfish, at current prices, 2012-17
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- Figure 64: US sales of fish and shellfish through other retail channels, at current prices, 2012-17
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Appendix – Key Players
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- Figure 65: MULO sales of fish and shellfish, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 66: MULO sales of fresh fish and shellfish, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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- Figure 67: MULO sales of frozen fish and shellfish, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Figure 68: MULO sales of shelf-stable fish and shellfish, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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Appendix – The Consumer
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- Figure 69: Fresh/frozen fish/seafood usage, by gender, fall 2016
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- Figure 70: Fresh/frozen fish/seafood usage, by age, fall 2016
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- Figure 71: Fresh/frozen fish/seafood usage, by race, fall 2016
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- Figure 72: Fresh/frozen fish/seafood usage, by Hispanic origin, fall 2016
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- Figure 73: Fresh/frozen fish/seafood usage, by household income, fall 2016
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- Figure 74: Fresh/frozen fish/seafood usage, by education, fall 2016
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- Figure 75: Fresh/frozen fish/seafood usage, by size of household, fall 2016
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- Figure 76: Fresh/frozen fish/seafood usage, by parental status and number of children in household, fall 2016
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- Figure 77: Fresh/frozen fish/seafood usage, by region, fall 2016
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- Figure 78: Fresh/frozen fish/seafood usage, by gender and age, fall 2016
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