IndexBox has just published a new report: ‘EU – Frozen Fish Fillet – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends and Insights’. Here is a summary of the report’s key findings.

The EU frozen fish fillet market totaled $6.6B in 2019 (IndexBox estimates), surging by 5.1% against the previous year. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers (excluding logistics costs, retail marketing costs, and retailers’ margins, which will be included in the final consumer price). The market value increased at an average annual rate of +2.0% from 2013 to 2019; the trend pattern remained consistent, with only minor fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2018 with an increase of 7.7% year-to-year. Over the period under review, the market reached the maximum level in 2019 and is likely to see gradual growth in years to come.

Consumption by Country

The countries with the highest volumes of frozen fish fillet consumption in 2019 were Germany (275K tonnes), the UK (193K tonnes) and France (155K tonnes), together comprising 48% of total consumption. Spain, Poland, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Malta, Austria, Belgium, and Hungary lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 42%.

From 2013 to 2019, the most notable rate of growth in terms of frozen fish fillet consumption, amongst the main consuming countries, was attained by Malta, while frozen fish fillet consumption for the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

In value terms, Germany ($1.2B), the UK ($1.2B), and France ($901M) were the countries with the highest levels of market value in 2019, together accounting for 51% of the total market. These countries were followed by Spain, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Austria, the Netherlands, Hungary, Belgium, and Malta, which together accounted for a further 40%.

In 2019, the highest levels of frozen fish fillet per capita consumption were registered in Malta (77 kg per person), followed by Sweden (3.71 kg per person), Austria (3.43 kg per person) and Germany (3.35 kg per person), while the world average per capita consumption of frozen fish fillet was estimated at 2.55 kg per person.

In Malta, frozen fish fillet per capita consumption increased at an average annual rate of +6.7% over the period from 2013-2019. In other countries, the average annual rates were as follows: Sweden (-4.9% per year) and Austria (-0.8% per year).

Imports in the EU

In 2019, the amount of frozen fish fillet imported in the European Union was estimated at 1.4M tonnes, remaining relatively unchanged against the previous year’s figure. In general, imports recorded a relatively flat trend pattern. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2016 with an increase of 4.5% against the previous year. In value terms, frozen fish fillet imports amounted to $7.1B (IndexBox estimates) in 2019.

Imports by Country

In 2019, Germany (339K tonnes), distantly followed by the UK (162K tonnes), Poland (155K tonnes), France (154K tonnes), Spain (143K tonnes), the Netherlands (105K tonnes) and Italy (89K tonnes) were the largest importers of frozen fish fillet, together comprising 82% of total imports.

Germany experienced a relatively flat trend pattern with regard to the volume of imports of frozen fish fillet. At the same time, Poland (+2.0%) and Italy (+1.6%) displayed positive paces of growth. Moreover, Poland emerged as the fastest-growing importer imported in the European Union, with a CAGR of +2.0% from 2013-2019. Spain, the Netherlands, France, and the UK experienced a relatively flat trend pattern. The shares of the largest importers remained relatively stable throughout the analyzed period.

In value terms, the largest frozen fish fillet importing markets in the European Union were Germany ($1.5B), the UK ($1B), and France ($897M), with a combined 49% share of total imports. Spain, Poland, Italy, and the Netherlands lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 32%.

Among the main importing countries, Spain saw the highest growth rate of the value of imports, over the period under review, while purchases for the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Import Prices by Country

In 2019, the frozen fish fillet import price in the European Union amounted to $5,096 per tonne, growing by 4.4% against the previous year. Over the last six years, it increased at an average annual rate of +2.1%. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2017 when the import price increased by 5.3% year-to-year. Over the period under review, import prices attained the maximum in 2019 and are likely to continue growing in years to come.

Prices varied noticeably by the country of destination; the country with the highest price was the UK ($6,351 per tonne), while Poland ($3,415 per tonne) was amongst the lowest.

From 2013 to 2019, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Spain, while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Source: IndexBox AI Platform