The Big Business of Tiny Fish
Article by Rosen Pitman-Wallace
Last leg of the trip! In particular, any recommendations for blowout dinners in Vegas that are also, you know … good? But first, enjoy the below article by Rosen Pitman-Wallace. —Katherine
The Big Business of Tiny Fish
By Rosen Pitman-Wallace
If you’re on TikTok, or just plugged into the online food world, you’ve probably heard the phrase “tinned fish.” Tinned fish — or, to normies, canned seafood — has been having a bit of a moment online, with people posting their “tinned fish date nights” or charcuterie-style “tinned fish boards.” The trend has been covered at length in the media, from Vogue to the Washington Post, but one question that hasn’t been addressed much is its real impact on the market.
As it turns out, the tinned fish market is growing, with a compound annual growth rate of 6.2%, according to a report by market research and advisory firm Mordor Intelligence. It’s hard to say how much the online trend factors into this growth, but it’s likely a big drive for new, disruptive smaller brands like TikTok darling Fishwife, which has grown by 9900% since 2020, as reported by Time Magazine. But while the boutique brands have benefitted the most, there has been recent growth for bigger players too, and five major players still dominate most of the market. These companies are Natural Sea, Bumble Bee, Crown Prince, Chicken of the Sea, and Roland. Reports also suggest a specific increase in sales for sardines and other tinned fish products outside the most popular varieties (tuna and salmon), for both mainstream and boutique brands, which might be influenced by TikTok content promoting products like tinned oysters and caviar.
This is particularly interesting as brands like Starkist have, as recently as 2018, blamed young people for a decline in the tinned fish market, causing numerous headlines claiming millennials were killing the industry. Ironically, one such article in the Wall Street Journal featured a 26-year-old from Chicago saying “There are food trends…[but] Canned tuna has never been hot.” But five years later, canned tuna is indeed hot, and it seems to be young people who are driving growth for the industry. Some content on tags like “tinned fish” on TikTok does include the big brands, but the decorative labels of boutique brands tend to be preferred by creators and viewers for their aesthetic merit. This is a potential area of expansion for the larger brands, with Bumble Bee Tuna, one of the aforementioned major players, winning a NOSH.com design award for their 2020 retro redesign.
There’s also the sustainability factor, which is increasingly motivating to consumers, and may be driving them to favor tinned fish over fresh. While the sustainability of tinned fish can vary depending on the species and production methods, its shelf-stability means that it reduces the need for year-round intensive fishing, allowing stocks to repopulate in the off season. It’s likely that there are a range of factors behind the growth in the canned seafood market, but whatever the reasons, this shelf-stable staple is on the rise.
Maya Lau joins Smart Mouth for the last episode of the season! She and Katherine talk about the universal herb and living in foreign countries, and then compare Oprah and Gwyneth.
Listen to Smart Mouth: iTunes • Google Podcasts • Stitcher • Spotify • RadioPublic • TuneIn • Libsyn • Amazon Music
If you liked the newsletter today, please forward it to someone who’d enjoy it, and tap the heart icon above or below, which will help me reach more readers. I appreciate your help, y’all!
This newsletter is edited by Katherine Spiers, host of the podcast Smart Mouth.
A TableCakes Production.
Very much not a blow out dinner, but Tacos El Gordo on the strip is not to be skipped.