Bumble Bee Survey Reveals U.S. Tuna Consumer’s Needs ff

By Atuna

U.S. canned tuna giant, Bumble Bee Foods, has recently found out in a commissioned survey targeting a national random sample of 1.001 respondents that 81% of consumers are spending more or about the same on groceries as they did two years ago and that only approximately 25% of respondents confirmed using more canned protein foods than they were in 2007, with the majority using about the same or less.

According to the company, the same 81% respondents confirmed that they are also actively looking for ways to save on their grocery bills, including shopping for best prices at a variety of stores, and using coupons as well as other techniques to extend the value of their spending. However, only 50% admitted to use meal planning as a technique.

Despite the frugal spending and budgeting that comes with challenging economic times, nearly one quarter of all respondents said they still throw away 10% or more of their grocery purchases as a result of items spoiling.

In face of those findings Bumble Bee is hoping to encourage ways for consumers to make additional savings and avoid waste, such as meal planning and, of course, increasing canned tuna consumption.

“Meal planning can lead to tighter budgeting, offer cost and time efficiencies around busy schedules, and ensure that groceries purchased will in fact be used up before ingredients spoil. (…) While meal planning is one way to help alleviate food waste, so is balancing your grocery shopping between the fresh vegetables, fruit and meat sections with center of the store dry-grocery purchases. Many ingredients that go into creating a host of meals are found in these canned and packaged food aisles of the grocery store”, stated the company also adding a variety of suggestions in how to use canned tuna in every day family meals.  

The survey results highlights the current challenge of the tuna industry in bringing back a big share of the market that has drifted to pouches and other packaging materials as preferential in the past years. Many tuna companies have recently launched salads, pates and other added-value products to increase tuna consumption. In addition, new designs and techniques have changed the old-looks of the tuna can.

The Bumble Bee-commissioned survey used a national probability sample of 501 males and 500 females age 18 and older, living in the continental United States. Interviews were conducted between October 30^th and November 2^nd, 2009 using a computer assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) system.

Completed interviews are weighted by four variables: age, sex, geographic region, and race, to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the total population, 18 years of age and older.