Trout Sandwich

Photo: Clear Springs Foods

Where are seafood menus headed? To help chart the course, we interviewed David Morris, research director, Food and Foodservice, Mintel International. Mintel International is a leading provider of insight into global consumer behavior, product innovation and marketing strategies for the world's leading companies.

• Fish may be a harder sell at lunch time because its cost can be prohibitive when compared to other protein choices. The issue is compounded because workday lunch is something that's more convenience- and sustenance-driven, and fish is more of a special occasion dish for many consumers, which makes it more appealing at dinner.
• Sandwiches and appetizers provide a means to get more fish on the lunch menu, in part because they can best accommodate the price point issue, and they may be better suited to the lunch menu than a fish entrée.
• We've seen an uptick in fish sandwiches from Q3 2006 to Q3 2008, so operators are seeing more room on the menu for fish.
• During a recessionary environment, seafood is in for some challenges on the menu, as price points will make a bigger difference. For fresh fish, this is a problem, but can be mitigated by marketing the innately positive attributes of fish.
• Tout the Omega-3 aspect of fish. It provides appeal in that it occurs naturally in fish. However, many competing products now make claims of Omega-3, so you must heavily tout the “package” of health attributes of fish and seafood on your menu.
• It's worth noting that long-term consumer trends, such as healthfulness, are not going to go away. The need to cap spiraling health-care costs will become more important and preventative care may be pushed harder than ever. This means consumers eating healthier — a task fish is ideally suited to help address.
• According to our December 2008 Fish and Seafood report, although the majority (58%) of fish eaters are eating about the same amount of fish and shellfish this year as they did last year, nearly a third have increased consumption. This is very good news, as our recent surveys have indicated that more than 50% of consumers are budgeting more this year.
• 63% of those eating more fish attribute doing so to “have a more balanced diet."
• Fish origin has become more and more important for consumers, as they become more aware of sustainability and what it means for the world food supply. 48% of 1,608 adults with access to the internet who bought fish or shellfish in the past year agreed “it makes a big difference to me if I know the region the fresh seafood I am buying comes from."
• But awareness isn't the same as knowledge. Consumers are having difficulty understanding what is considered sustainable and/or environmentally friendly and what is not. Mintel advocates exploration of certification sources such as the Aquaculture Certification Council (ACC).
  (for more resources, see below)

WEB RESOURCES

The SeafoodWatch program
The Envionmental Defense Fund
Aquaculture Certification Council