Supermarket Perimeter - May 2019 - 82

Seafood: Trout and tilapia

Thanks to a glut of
Chinese imports, a
two-tier tilapia market
has developed in the
U.S. Two- and threepound bags of frozen
product are popular at
retailers like Walmart,
while more discerning
consumers are willing
to spend more for fresh
tilapia merchandised
in the service case.

Tilapia: fresh and frozen ﬁnd their niches
Tilapia remains a solid top 10 category performer when
it comes to retail consumption and sales, and it's not
uncommon to see it in the top 5, says Bob Tate, national
sales manager for Miami-based Aquabest Seafood LLC.
A glut of frozen tilapia from China has hurt the fresh
market in the U.S., Tate says. "You have two consumers - a frozen consumer that usually buys on price and
another consumer who doesn't mind paying more for
fresh. Retailers still have tilapia at $5.99-7.99 (per pound)."
In today's retail marketplace, variety is key, Tate says

- thriving departments have a number of items in both
tray packs (self-service) and in the full-service case.
One thing tilapia has going for it is its convenience.
"Tilapia usually takes 8 to 10 minutes to cook, and I think
that's a convenience for the consumer."
One thing that separates Aquabest from some of its
competitors is a commitment to cut to order, Tate says.
"We don't have any inventory left over at the end of the
day," he says. "You order the week before, it's cut the day
before, shipped and it has a 14-day shelf life."
Aquabest only sources product raised in fresh-water
reservoirs, which helps guarantee no off-ﬂavor taste.
When it comes to marketing tilapia, it's hard to get
much traction with branding. If someone has a cheap
price, the retailer is going to buy it and push it through
the system. But brand loyalty can still be found in the
tilapia market, Tate says. Two or three pound bags of frozen tilapia sold at Walmart have a following, for instance.
And Tate says that retailers can build brand loyalty on the
fresh side if they can consistently deliver quality.
With consumers indifferent to branding, the key to
success, Tate says, is to focus on the supplier-retailer relationship. "If you have your program and your concept,
the commitment to quality and trim and the relationship,
that's where you have your customer," he says. One way
Aquabest differentiates itself is with ﬂavor - "there is a
difference between Chinese and fresh in terms of ﬂavor."
In addition, Aquabest tilapia is shipped deep-skin, unless
most Chinese product, which has a shallow skin.

4 SIMPLE TIPS TO ENHANCE YOUR SEAFOOD DISPLAY
Keep it colorful. Alternating ﬁsh species by color
will create an eye-catching
display. For example, display
tilapia ﬁllets next to salmon,
then cod ﬁllets. Don't put
three white ﬁsh next to each
other. You can also shake it up
by intermingling ﬁsh species.
For example lobster next to
ﬁllets, next to shrimp, and so
on. Another way to pump up
the color is to use fruits and
vegetables in your display to
give bright pops of color. Use
lemons, blood oranges, red
onions, parsley, and kale to
separate species or divide a row
that has two kinds of seafood.

82 - MAY 2019

Variety is the spice of
life. If you have tilapia
ﬁllets next to mahi mahi ﬁllets,
display one ﬁllet vertically
and the other one horizontally
to add more variety to your
seafood case display. Varying
the height of different items
can also add variety to seafood
display. Another way to add
variety is to vary the height
and display. Get creative,
break some rules and have
fun! But also be sure not to
cross contaminate putting raw
product next to cooked.

Don't overlook the
importance of proper
display case lights. Better
visibility will accentuate the
rich colors of seafood rather
than detract from it. Deﬁnitely consider investing in LED
(light-emitting diode) lighting.
LED lighting offers direct light
beams that focus on the product and have a dramatic impact
on your seafood merchandising. Although LED display case
lights cost more initially they
will save you money in the long
run since they use 25%-30%
of the energy and last 8 to
25 times longer than halogen
incandescent lights.

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Be sure to keep the
product fresh in your
seafood case. Freshen product
before your lunchtime and
after work rush hours. In the
morning you may want to
only set up one or two deep
and then before your busy
times, add more. Fillets and
steaks should have ﬁrm, elastic
ﬂesh and a fresh-cut, moist
appearance, with no browning
around the edges. Whole ﬁsh
should have bright, clear, full
eyes that are often protruding
and bright red or pink gills. The
ﬂesh should be ﬁrm yet elastic,
springing back when pressed.
Source: Harvest Food Distributors

AQUABEST

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Supermarket Perimeter - May 2019

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