Consumer Trends Drive Packaging Innovation

SAN DIEGO – Mar. 5, 2007 –What are consumers looking for when choosing food?  Health, convenience and value, according to AC Nielsen, and Chicken of the Sea International’s latest product innovation – tuna and salmon in 2.8-ounce peel-and-eat cups – meets these growing desires.

AC Neilsen’s December 2006 market report, “What’s Hot Around the World – Insights on Growth in Food & Beverage Products,” studied the fastest-growing categories and product areas across 66 key markets.  The report identifies key trends relating to consumer purchases:  a continued focus on health and freshness, the need for convenience and the continuing need for value.  Similarly, Seafood.com recently reported that analysts and marketers predict that in 2007, supermarkets will offer even more convenience with a greater variety in portion sizes.  And as noted in the December 2006 issue of Packaging World, ”The emphasis on convenience drives so many food and beverage packaging developments today, it may have a greater influence on the packages we see in the future than anything else out there.”

“Trends indicate that people are looking for healthy products that meet their busy lifestyles and can be consumed on-the-go,” said John Sawyer, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Chicken of the Sea.  “With the obesity crisis, there is also an increased focus on portion control — our new tuna and salmon cups are perfect for addressing both issues.”

Chicken of the Sea’s tuna and salmon is wild caught and is a good source of heart-healthy omega-3 and protein, and is low in fat and calories, and the cups provide a solution for those wanting healthy and convenient food options, Sawyer said.

Scientific research, meanwhile, consistently points to the health benefits of seafood.  According to a new study by The Lancet, “intelligence quotients” were higher for children with mothers who ate fish during pregnancy, and the Journal of the American Medical Association states eating fish cuts the risk of death from coronary disease – the single largest killer of Americans, according to the American Heart Association – by 36 percent.   The American Heart Association states consumers should “eat at least two servings of fish each week,” and the American Diabetes Association has noted as many as 20 million Americans have diabetes, and foods high in protein and high in omega-3, such as tuna and salmon, are important to counter the ailment’s effects.

Chicken of the Sea’s easy-to-open, 2.8-ounce cups are available in chunk white tuna, chunk light tuna and pink salmon varieties and come in convenient two-packs. Suggested retail price is $1.79-$1.89 for chunk light and $2.79 for chunk white and salmon.

A seafood category leader, Chicken of the Sea provides a variety of shelf-stable seafood products, including tuna, salmon, crab, shrimp, oysters, clams, mackerel and sardines.  The Chicken of the Sea brand and famous Mermaid icon are among the most recognized brands in America.