Value-for-money salmon provides entry point; chilled ready meals best performer Younger consumers key to 8% rise in sales value The trend of rising fish sales against a background of buoyant prices is continuing. According to the latest Seafish figures, in the year to 19 August 2001, the volume of purchases for household consumption of fresh, chilled and frozen fish was 5% up on the previous year at 267,205 tonnes, with value up 8% to £1,509.4m. Some sectors are showing particularly strong growth; expenditure on chilled shellfish is up 16% whilst chilled ready-made meals is the best performing category with a 22% rise in expenditure thanks to the convenience factor of products such as pre-packed prawns, fish & chips and fish-in-sauce. Steve Millson, sales director for major Hull based fish processor Marr Foods, said: "People are quite rightly now perceiving seafood as safe and healthy. In the past price was an important factor in sales performance, but this no longer appears to be the case. "However, it is fair to say that value-for-money salmon has provided an entry point for many people who then migrate on to other seafood products.' Tony Morgan, Seafish head of marketing, said: "There is no doubt that scares in the meat industry have had a significant effect, but other important factors include the opening of additional fish counters in supermarkets and the launch of a significant number of new products, especially ready-made meals. "The advances that we're witnessing are most notable in the fresh/chilled sector, where on average people are buying more often and spending more money on each purchase made. It is very encouraging to note these increases are strongest among younger consumers in their twenties and early thirties." Within the overall chilled fish sector, the defined chilled sector was up 22% in value to £156.5m with volume sales up 17% to 25,165 tonnes. {{MEAT }}

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