Russians may prefer canned meat to fish due to narrowing the price gap

According to Rosstat, from January to April 2023, the production of canned food decreased by 9.5%, while in April alone it decreased by 14.7%. Igor Popov, project manager of the Russian Fish World LLC, commented on the latest Rosstat data on the decline in the production of canned fish:

“The main reason for the decrease in the production of canned fish is the high cost of raw materials. The price of it began to grow a long time ago, but now it just reached its climax. Domestic raw salmon has more than doubled compared to 2022: 390 rubles against 160 rubles per kilogram. Saury has never cost 420 rubles per kilogram on the wholesale market. Last year the price for this fish was 300 rubles and even then it was considered high. Today, canned saury is equal in price to stew. If earlier the consumer, choosing affordable ready-made protein products, often stopped at canned fish, now he is more likely to give preference to canned MEAT. The price is still the same."

The representative of the "Russian Fish World" earlier also noted that the canned fish market will be reoriented to the sale of more budgetary products - sprat, ivasi, herring. Total sales in this industry are down 15-30% year-to-date, according to the company.