Canned food is undergoing a stylistic change

Retail sales of canned food haven’t changed for years. The reasons: a growing selection of fresh products in modern retail channels and a change in consumption habits. Convenience, practicality and health-consciousness are becoming more and more important factors. Enikő Nagy, marketing manager of Hamé Hungária Kft. told Trade magazin that sales of their popular Hamé and Globus products keep growing and in certain product groups aluseal packaging has started its conquest. Sales have shifted in the direction of the so-called ‘top’ products. According to Imre Juhász, junior key account manager of Del Pierre Kft., there is a major structural change taking place in the canned fish segment in comparison with the previous 5-8 years. Tuna and sardine sales improve and sales of the former favourite, sprat are dropping. Younger and middle-aged consumers prefer tuna and sprat is the choice of the older generation. Hamé Hungária’s sales augmented last year in both value and volume and this year brought no change. They didn’t introduce new products in 2014 but 2015 will be full of surprises. Del Pierre realises the biggest sales in the canned fish category and sales improved a little in 2013. Their TWIST products include both old favourite smoked sprat and younger generation’s favourite choice, tuna. In the second half of the year the company puts new gourmet products on the Hungarian market. Their latest innovation, grilled sprats in tomato sauce, is being launched right now