Young’s Seafood has gone head-to-head with rival Seachill by launching a raft of new products that echo Seachill’s The Saucy Fish Co. range in flavour and format.

The products - launched this month in the by Sainsbury’s Just Cook range - comprise smoked haddock with Davidstow Cheddar, salmon with sweet chilli glaze (which contains chilli, lime and ginger), and salmon with watercress sauce.

Seachill sells three similar products in its The Saucy Fish Co. range. They are smoked haddock with a Davidstow Cheddar and chive sauce, salmon fillet with chilli, lime & ginger, and salmon fillet with watercress & crème fraîche dressing.

Both the Seachill and Sainsbury’s salmon products are sold in black skin vacuum packaging with a cardboard sleeve and a packet of sauce, while both haddock products (pictured) are contained in an ovenable bag and sold in a similar-shaped cardboard packet. Sainsbury’s products differ as the salmon and haddock products carry the Freedom Food and MSC logos, respectively.

“We are surprised by how close these products are to our established flavour combinations,” said Seachill sales and marketing director, Simon Smith.

The important thing was that the “fast-growing and exciting” ‘to cook’ category was getting more space and choice, he added.

Young’s declined to comment and Sainsbury’s would not be drawn on whether the range was inspired by The Saucy Fish Co., but a spokeswoman said: “Sainsbury’s is always looking to improve customer choice while offering great value.”

The Saucy products are sold in Sainsbury’s alongside Young’s products. Currently, Saucy is on offer for £3, but the rsp is £4. The Sainsbury’s products are on sale for £4, or three for £10.

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