The Rise of Tinned Tuna in the UK
Tuna has made a remarkable comeback in the UK, with sales of tinned tuna soaring by nearly 18 per cent over the last two years. This increase is equivalent to an additional 2.25 million kilograms of tuna being sold. According to Lee Bannerman, Tesco’s tinned fish buyer, this surge in demand is largely driven by health-conscious TikTokers who are discovering the benefits of tinned fish.
He explained: ‘Tinned fish is at the height of culinary fashion and is being driven by younger shoppers who have tuned into the fact that it is a cheap and convenient way of boosting their protein intake.’ This trend has led to a resurgence in the popularity of tinned fish, which was once a staple in many UK households but had declined in popularity after WWII due to the advent of refrigeration.
A New Culinary Trend
Tuna and other tinned fish were found across most kitchens in the UK for much of the 20th century. However, their popularity began to wane as a result of the advent of refrigeration after WWII. Now, Tesco has revealed that sales are on the up once again. ‘You’d probably need to go back nearly 100 years to find the last time that tinned fish was such an exciting commodity,’ Mr Bannerman said.
Tuna is not only high in protein but also contains essential vitamins and minerals, and is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by health-conscious youngsters, who started posting tuna recipes in the US a few years ago. Today, they’re hugely popular on both sides of the pond.
TikTok and the Tuna Revolution
TikTok is awash with influencers posting their tinned fish meal creations and offering tips on how to jazz up simple, easy-to-make meals such as tuna pasta bakes or salmon salads. A quick search on TikTok uncovers hundreds of recipes involving tuna.
@cookwithchlos shared a recipe for crispy tuna bites, explaining they ‘take 20 minutes and are actually SO good.’ @emthenutritionist showed her followers how to make the ‘ultimate’ tuna melt, joking ‘there’s something about a tuna melt that just SLAPS.’ And @onlyscrans revealed that his ‘most requested recipe ever’ was his spicy tuna pasta. ‘It might just be my favourite pasta dish I’ve ever posted on the god forsaken f***ing page,’ he quipped.
The Role of Brands and Sustainability
LDH (La Doria), which owns the tinned fish brand Glenryck, supplies Tesco with most of its own-brand tinned fish. Robert Wiltshire, LDH Head of Seafood Sourcing and Sustainability, said: ‘Tinned fish and especially tuna has always been popular but with a more defined and more mature audience. We saw a brief, artificial spike in sales during lockdown because fresh food became harder to buy and shoppers were stocking up on tinned foods that would keep for longer. But now the younger generation are picking up on just how versatile tuna is and even high-end restaurants are adding it to their menus – something that no one would have imagined even five years ago.’
Broader Trends in Food Consumption
The news comes shortly after Tesco revealed that demand for cottage cheese has rocketed by 200 per cent over the last two years, amid a resurgence for the high-protein snack on TikTok. ‘TikTok food trends often result in sudden sales spikes and we saw that happen last year with Italian bread and cheese,’ explained Elizabeth Tomkins, Tesco cottage cheese buyer. ‘But this is a fully fledged culinary phenomenon that has brought a lot of extra business to the UK dairy industry.’
