Fish and
Seafood in France
HEADLINES
- Overall sales of fish and seafood decline by less than
1% in 2010 to 362,000 tonnes
- The importance of functional food has a positive impact
on sales of fish thanks to the fad for omega 3 and trace elements
- Overall crustaceans consumption declines in 2010 by
almost 2% to 21,000 tonnes
- Sales of fish/seafood are expected to record slightly
positive growth with a CAGR of less than 1% over the forecast period
TRENDS
- Sales of fish and seafood recorded an overall slight
decline in 2010. This downward trend was chiefly explained by the lower
frequency of visits to outlets and the purchasing of decreasing
quantities. The uncertain economic climate led consumers to opt for more
care in terms of spending. As a result, consumption of fish and seafood
faced a decline, mainly driven by lower demand for crustaceans.
- In the context of the review period, the overall
decline in fish and seafood sales was less marked in 2010. The poor
overall performance was offset by increasing consumption of fish such as
salmon. This was chiefly boosted by extending the offer of fresh fish
through grocery retailers and also hard discounters. Displays for fresh
fish within hypermarkets/supermarkets were bigger, hence the wider offer
for fish. Affordable retail prices also enabled fish to grow.
- Eating healthily and the growing trend of looking after
one’s physical appearance allowed fish and seafood to slow down its
decline. Functional food has made inroads among the French, and fish and
seafood represented an excellent means of consuming nutritional qualities
such as omega 3. Positive growth of fish was also triggered by a return to
home-made meals as the French spent more time cooking at home in order to
reduce spending in areas such as eating out.
- Unlike fish, crustaceans did not perform well in 2010.
Despite a falling retail price, the decline in crustaceans’ sales was
driven by lower consumption of crabs, impacting negatively the overall
consumption. Additionally, convenience and time saving in terms of meal
preparation led consumers to move to canned preserved crustaceans, hence
the decline within sales of fresh crustaceans.
- Scallop shells remained the most consumed
molluscs/cephalopods. Those molluscs/cephalopods were successful in terms
of consumption as they are packed with a variety of nutrients such as
Vitamin B12, Omega 3 fatty acids and magnesium, which are good for
cardiovascular health. However, its sales increase did not help
molluscs/cephalopods as a whole to perform well, hence the negative growth
overall in 2010.
- Environmental concerns led associations such as the
Fédération des Entreprises du Commerce et de la Distribution to launch a
campaign for eating seasonal fish at affordable retail prices. Similar
campaigns were also run by grocery retailers such as Galec and Auchan by
stopping selling fish at risk of extinction such as siki, red tuna, blue
ling and halibut, but making more seasonal fish products available.
Sustainable development also remained a key growth driver for sales of
fish and seafood. Awareness of endangered fish species by leading fish
organisations, led by World Ocean Network, saw the launch of a campaign to
sensitise the general public and the fishing industry about sustainable
consumption of fish and seafood. This was supported by Nausicaá, the
National Centre of the Sea in Boulogne-sur-Mer in France. As a result,
sustainable development was strengthened within the foodservice industry
such as hotels and restaurants by offering seasonal fish and seafood on
menus.
PROSPECTS
- Sales of fish and seafood are expected to register a
CAGR of less than 1% over the forecast period, compared to a CAGR of -2%
during 2005-2010. The positive growth during the forecast period should be
triggered by growing concerns about eating healthily. Furthermore,
recommendations about nutritional intakes such as eating fish and seafood
twice a week by the Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire should help
fish and seafood to grow as the French are expected to pay more attention
to their own physical appearance.
- Because of the uncertain economic climate, the French
were more cautious in terms of spending by reducing the frequency of
shopping and purchasing rates. Additionally, they are expected to
arbitrate further their spending without penalising fish and seafood as
lower retail prices and promotional campaigns about seasonal consumption
should boost sales of fish and seafood. The competitiveness of seasonal
fresh fish in terms of retail price within retail and foodservice is
expected to nonetheless hamper sales of canned/frozen fish and seafood,
hence the slightly positive growth for the forecast period within fish and
seafood.
- Compared with the review period, the growth rate is
expected to improve in fresh fish and seafood. Such a change will chiefly
be boosted by the comeback of home-made meals as the economic downturn led
the French to cook more at home for financial reasons. The ongoing
uncertainty of the economic situation is expected to help sales of fish
and seafood to rise gradually within fish and crustaceans thanks to
healthy eating patterns.
- Even though the French are expected to cook more at
home, canned and frozen processed fish is expected to slow down sales of
fresh fish and seafood. Growing demand for convenience in terms of time
savings and meal preparation in urban areas could therefore alter the
positive growth forecast.
- In the short term campaigns about seasonal fish
consumption should help grow sales of fish and seafood. Consumers will be
more willing to choose fish and seafood by showing increasing interest in
the environment. As a result, purchasing patterns should be more
orientated towards sustainable development within retail as well as
foodservice.
