Consumption. An increase of 15 euro cents per slice of smoked trout or salmon
Foie gras, champagne, oysters or shrimp, smoked fish, salmon and trout will be expensive this year, as will other holiday staples.
“Like all agri-food activities, we are affected by increases in our raw material, energy, packaging, transport costs and inflation-related (…) wage support,” Jacques Trottier emphasized last month. ETF, interprofessional fresh catering companies (1), during the presentation of the holiday season.
“The wall of inflation has really hit us since late 2021, early 2022, and will continue to do so in 2023. To be clear, I think we’re not at the end of the tunnel yet. … “he said. he is also the general manager of Labeyrie Fine Foods, a leader in foie gras and smoked salmon in supermarkets.
“We enjoy shopping”
So, at the end of the year, consumers will have to pay a little more on average, with an increase of 15 euro cents per slice. However, the profession does not want to be excited: “We shop for pleasure, not everyday products. At the level of demand, the effect of inflation is 2-2.5 times less than that of daily categories only. Every week when I buy waffle butter, I know exactly what price I’m getting. “However, when you go to the store to buy salmon or smoked trout, which is not always on your shopping list, you are buying on impulse.” Customers will find it very difficult to price per kilo, so estimate the increase or decrease.
Even if enthusiasts see an increase, that doesn’t discourage them, as they intend to include smoked salmon (67%) or smoked trout (29%) on their New Year’s Eve menu, according to the CSA survey. (2). Moreover, at the end of September, the sales of these two products, which were mainly purchased in hypermarkets and supermarkets, increased by +4.3% in one year compared to the same period of 2019 before the arrival of Covid.
As for the points of sale, the figures are equally convincing: orders from distributors are more than last year in terms of volume. “We are all betting that we will have less impact on our products than a more justified daily consumption,” added Jacques Trottier, noting that the existing references are quite diverse (2 slices, 4 slices, 6 slices, etc.) to find the right amount and the best for their budgets. they can adapt.
The discovery of smoked trout
As for the trick of substituting smoked salmon for its cousin trout… That “good plan” is now obsolete. If the latter is still more affordable than the former, prices from simple to double the price per kilo have tended to converge in recent years. According to experts from fresh catering companies, the difference between one and the other is now about 10%.
Because of this, trout tend to overtake smoked salmon in terms of value as well as volume: twenty years ago, the fish accounted for 7% of the market for the smoked fish family, now it has reached 20%. According to IRI, this trend is accelerating as sales of smoked trout rose 7.5% in the twelve months to the end of September, compared to just 3% growth in salmon. Stealing the show from there soon?
(1) ETF brings together 60 structures such as Labeyrie, Sodebo, Daunat, Fleury Michon, Martinet, Bonduelle, Bigard or Delpeyrat. seafood, cooked shrimp and shellfish, surimi, salmon and smoked trout, starters, soups, pasta, fresh pasta, ready meals, cuts, baked goods, exotic products, desserts, sauces, sandwiches, savory pies and other pizzas.
(2) 1 representative sample CSA survey for Fresh Catering Companies (ETF) 10-17 October 2022 001 French and over 18 years old.
