EXPO NEWS PRODUCT INNOVATION
seafood innovators to watch in 2022 BY MADELYN KEARNS
Uncertain times did not deter North American seafood suppliers from advancing innovative practices and products, as showcased in SeafoodSource’s Top 25 Seafood Product Innovators list, released in September 2021. Six of the companies making the latest list – Annasea Foods Group, Bristol Seafood, Chicken of the Sea, Pacific Seafood, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, and True North Seafood – rose to the top by catering to trends set off by the COVID-19 pandemic and applying creative ideas about how to get Americans even more hooked on seafood.
ANNASEA FOODS GROUP
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC caused many North American consumers to spend the better part of the last two years cooking and eating at home. It’s a trend that fueled retail purchases of ready-to-eat and ready-to-serve bulk pack poke products for Kent, Washington, U.S.A.-based Western United Fish Company, which operates as Annasea Foods Group. Nine flavor profiles comprise the firm’s Poke Meal Kits range, including Shoyu Ahi, Wasabi Ahi, Limu Ahi, Spicy Ahi, Albacore, California Roll Ahi, Sriracha Salmon, Garlic Shrimp, and Sweet Chili Tofu. Similar to sushi, the flavors in each kit are both recognizable and unique, offering “a familiar bridge to making customized bowls at home,” the company told SeafoodSource. As grab-and-go counters at retail have become increasingly more popular over the course of the pandemic, Annasea has seen explosive sales of its 10-pound bulk packs of ready-to-serve poke kits. “With the grab-and-go ease of pre-mixed fish
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and sauce at the seafood counter, customers can now enjoy the same eating experience of [dining] out at home,” the company said. In the frozen aisle, the firm said its 10-ounce poke kits – especially its Annasea Wasabi Ahi Poke Kit, Annasea Shoyu Ahi Poke Kit, Annasea Sriracha Salmon Poke Kit, and Annasea Spicy Ahi Poke Kit – continue to grow in popularity. The company attributes the rise to “shifting trends towards workfrom-home and active lifestyles,” as consumers seek healthier food options and clean protein. “Wellness- and fitness-focused adults, college
EXPO TODAY 2022 / BROUGHT TO YOU BY SEAFOODSOURCE
students, and families seek nutritious, quick, convenient, customizable meals at home,” the company said, noting that its line of poke meal kits delivers what these modern consumers crave: convenience, value, portion-control, and uniqueness for under USD 10.00 (EUR 8.53) per kit. In August 2020, Annasea introduced California Roll Ahi Poke and Sweet Chili Tofu Poke to its 10-ounce poke kit line, which boasts products that are all ready to thaw, mix, serve, and eat. The California Roll Ahi Tuna Poke Kit features sustainable, traceable, wild-caught ahi tuna, while the Sweet Chili Poke Kit includes ready-to-eat Japanese-style deep fried tofu. “California rolls are evergreen in sushi and fast-casual dining; and reliably available as a foodservice item. To help drive this demand and extend the familiar flavor profile in the market, Annasea’s California Roll Ahi Poke meal kit offers a trendy, in-demand product customers can make at home, anytime. Additionally, with 57 percent of consumers saying they are trying to eat more plant protein, Annasea Sweet Chili Tofu Poke Kit offers convenient meal kits, serving two to three [people] per 10-ounce kit,” the company said of the products in August 2020.
