According to latest piece of monthly analysis from Lumina Intelligence’s Menu Tracker, across Spring/Summer (SS) menus in 2020, 17% of mains have a fish or seafood core component and 21% of starters have a fish or seafood core component. Both of these are up 1pp versus SS 2019. Prawns and squid are the most popular types of fish to feature within starters – 33% of starters include prawns (+3pp YOY) and 25% contain squid (+6pp YOY). Prawns are also the most common type of fish to appear within main courses, with salmon second most popular. 37% of main courses include prawns (+3pp YOY) and 16% include salmon (+0pp YOY). Calamari is the most common starter and fish & chips the most common main course. Calamari accounts for 16% of all fish/seafood starters on SS menus in 2020 – up 3pp on SS 2019. Fish & chips accounts for 11% of all fish/seafood main dishes – up 1pp on SS 2019. In regard to NPD, fish/seafood were included within 24% of new starter dishes on SS 2020 menus, up 9pp on SS 2019, and 16% of main dishes, up 1pp on SS 2019. Katherine Prowse, Insight Manager at Lumina Intelligence said, “Growth in consumers reducing red meat intake has seen fish increase in share on menus. Fish and seafood are versatile and can be relatively cheap ingredients to create tempting and on trend dishes that will appeal to consumers who are more interested in healthier dishes or seeking out a treat occasion. “New product development in fish dishes across menus are echoing current trends in provenance, healthier and lighter and indulgence. Consumers are increasingly seeking out locally sourced ingredients and dishes following a ‘buy local’ boom as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit.” (source: Lumina, image: pexels)