60 | SEAF ISH | CATERING AND HOSPITALIT Y
W:
www.universitybusiness.co.uk/news/catering
Andy Gray, Trade Marketing Manager at Seafi sh, looks at expanding our tastes when it comes to our seafood choices
A LIT TLE SOME THI NG DIFFERENT. . .
As consumers in the UK, we have a tendency to focus our seafood consumption on fi ve main species – salmon, tuna, cod, haddock and prawns – and yet on any one day it is estimated that there is in excess of 100 diff erent species of fi sh and shellfi sh available to purchase in the UK; a veritable bounty from the seas. Penetration of seafood in the UK is
relatively high, with approximately 90% of consumers eating fi sh in a given year. Frequency of consumption, on the other hand, is low with only approximately a third of consumers eating fi sh at least twice a week. The ‘two a week’ message, encouraging
customers to include two or more portions of fi sh/shellfi sh a week (one of which should be oil-rich fi sh) as part of a healthy diet/lifestyle, is still a fantastic platform on which to promote fi sh and shellfi sh to your customers. While many consumers are often
reticent about buying seafood for preparing and cooking at home, it is however often a main menu choice for many people when they decide to eat out of home – put ing trust in a chef that he or she will expertly prepare and serve an excellent seafood dining experience. This point can therefore be acted upon by caterers by ensuring that there is a good variety of seafood choice on their menus. In 2013, UK
consumers spent an estimated £350bn on eating out of home, with meals that included seafood
worth £3bn. Fried fi sh dominates the foodservice sector, with just over a third of the sector share, followed by seafood sandwiches, such as prawn and tuna. Whitefi sh, such as cod, haddock and pollack, is the most popular choice in foodservice, making up more than 80% of the total spend. However, with so many other varieties
of fi sh and shellfi sh to try, what can caterers do to encourage consumers to try something diff erent? Many consumers have never tried anything other than the previously mentioned top fi ve species and are often simply unaware of what other great-tasting species are available. Trying something diff erent can help to reduce the pressure on more traditional species and also helps to vary the diet – there is a huge variety of diff erent vitamins and minerals found in diff erent species of seafood. Inevitably, the aforementioned species
Mackerel
will continue to remain popular with many consumers but caterers can also endeavour to be enthusiastic about alternative species and consider featuring one or two additional species on their menu; perhaps on a rolling weekly basis to keep the menu fresh. Off ering free bite-size samples of diff erent species on certain days to encourage customers to try something new, or maybe a
lesser-known ‘species of the week’, off ered at a reduced promotional price, are initiatives that
can also work well. For more seafood information, hints and tips visit
www.seafi
sh.org While cod and haddock are often
regarded as the nation’s favourite whitefi sh species, hake is a fi sh that many consumers realise they really like when having the opportunity to taste it. Blind taste sampling tests amongst consumers with cod, haddock, hake, coley, etc, often highlight hake as being the tastiest of the lot in consumers’ views. With many consumers being unsure
about fi sh and shellfi sh, equipping serving staff with some outline product knowledge of various seafood species can greatly help in educating customers and often in persuading them to choose one of the seafood options on a menu. A great chef, or kitchen crew, is the key to any successful catering operation, however some simple marketing skills are also essential to help maximise such talent and creativity coming out of a restaurant kitchen. Some simple writ en explanations on a menu or point of sale materials, explaining the provenance of listed seafood items, or comparing and contrasting tastes and textures of diff erent seafood, can again contribute to persuading customers to choose one of the off ered seafood options. A value-for-money species, often
overlooked by consumers when shopping for home consumption, but which can be an excellent species for the catering sector, is the humble mackerel. Often regarded by seafood afi cionados as one of the tastiest fi sh, the mackerel lends itself to simple preparation, perhaps pan fried or grilled and enjoyed along with some lightly boiled new potatoes and an accompanying leafy salad – perfect summer dining and a great addition to any menu. UB
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