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Greatest thing since sliced bread?
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Canned tuna makers aren't surrendering; they're innovating.
John Fiorillo
Page 1 of 2
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MYPROFILE
Latest edition May 2012
Associated Articles
Published: 16 May 2012 02:10 PM
Chicken of the Sea rolls out 'no-
Updated: 16 May 2012 01:47 PM
drain' canned tuna
Some emails are so over the top.
On May 1, I received this one from Chicken of
the Sea: “Breakthrough technology and
canned tuna are not words typically coupled
together … until now. Chicken of the Sea is
reinvigorating the seafood category with what
Canned tuna firm has big plans
for World Tuna Day
John West launches consumer
PR strategy
Starkist CEO: US tuna pricing is
not sustainable
it is calling the greatest thing since sliced bread. We have sent you samples of
Chicken of the Sea’s new product line and they should be arriving tomorrow via
FedEx. Just as the iPhone changed the game for mobile phones, Chicken of the Sea’s new canned tuna will bring a whole
new world to seafood.”
Well written, for sure, but I found myself snickering at the hyperbole. This is canned tuna we are talking about, right? What
could they have possibly done to a can of tuna to merit such braggadocio?
As we know now some two weeks later, the innovation Chicken of the Sea is
so excited about is its new "No Drain Tuna," which uses a patented process
to offer solid, steak-like tuna in a can with no draining necessary. The
Click here to read
product is currently available in four, 4-ounce varieties, including solid white
albacore tuna, solid light tuna, solid light Thai chili tuna and solid light lemon
pepper tuna.
As the email promised, samples arrived at my office and I took them home
and tossed them in my pantry. A day or so later I opened the can of
albacore, and to my amazement the product lived up to the hype. It is
fantastic, in fact.
The tuna wasn’t drowning in water and minced beyond recognition. It was a solid hockey puck of moist, flaky tuna. I gave it
my traditional treatment: added mayo and tossed it between two slices of whole wheat bread. It was great.
A few days later, my wife mentioned in passing how good the “new tuna” is. She took it to work and ate it right out of the
can, she said. “It didn’t have all that stinky tuna water.”
Then my teenager, fresh from a day at school and ravenous, stared into the pantry with his usual existential quandary: “We
don’t have anything to eat.”
“Have some tuna,” I say.
“Ok. Hey, what’s this new tuna,” he asks. “Ooh, Thai chili flavor. That sounds good.”
“Just try it,” I say with a sigh.
“Dad, what does no-drain mean?”
Really, my straight-A student is asking me what no drain means. “It means you don’t have to drain it first. Duh!”
“Really," he says, “that’s awesome. Who came up with that? I hate all that fish water. What do they even put it in there for?”
He made his sandwich and his eyes lit up.
“Love this. You should buy more of this,” he says.
In a nutshell, my family’s experience captures the much-hyped innovation inside Chicken of the Sea’s “breakthrough”
product: It is more potable than typical canned tuna because it doesn’t have to be drained, which can be messy; it tastes
good enough to eat straight from the can; and is attractive to consumers who prefer canned tuna over tuna in a pouch.
For whatever reason, I have never converted to pouch tuna, even though many varieties come with little to no tuna juice. I
just prefer the can.
Chicken of the Sea research shows there are many out there just like me – folks who are loyal for whatever reason to a can.
Through its John West subsidiary in Europe, Chicken of the Sea parent company Thai
Union Frozen Products has been testing a similar no-drain product in European markets for
a year or so. The product has been extremely successful -- so why not bring the concept to
http://www.intrafish.com/global/news/article1277003.ece
5/16/2012
Greatest thing since sliced bread? - First in Seafood News - Intrafish.com
Page 2 of 2
the US market.
Despite the slow deterioration of shelf-stable tuna sales in the US market, tuna manufacturers have been some of the most
active in the industry at innovating and working to meet consumer needs over the last decade or more.
The no-drain can is the latest in this string of innovation.
Will it be enough to reverse the sales decline – not likely – but the John West no-drain product now claims nearly a 10
percent share of the UK canned tuna market, the company said.
Still, canned tuna in the US market struggles with its image as a cheap grocery staple. Over the last six years or so, the
value of tuna sales in the United States has increased steadily -- driven by price increases -- while volume has gradually
slipped.
It's a slow slog to change this image, but innovation is a continuum, and the canned tuna makers continue to show a drive
for innovation and resiliency. What the canned tuna makers do well is -- listen to their customers.
Send your comments to [email protected].
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5/16/2012