Exciting News: Menu Penetration of Wild Alaska Pollock on the Rise

I’m up in Dutch Harbor this week working with the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) to get some brand-new photos and videos of our amazing fish: Wild Alaska Pollock. It’s perfect timing, given the spectacular news coming out of the Global Seafood Marketing Conference a few weeks ago—we might need these new pictures in a big way.

According to the insights presented by Dataessential at the meeting, Wild Alaska Pollock had less than 1% menu penetration last year, but that is expected to rise 21% over the next four years—in large part due to transparency in marketing.

We’ve talked about the so-called “Destiny’s Child Effect” (i.e. say my name, say my name) before, but it seems that there’s huge upside in calling out our fish—by name—on menus.

Let’s break that name down for a second.

You’ve got the species: Pollock. It’s a whitefish. It’s mild in flavor and flaky in texture, which means it’s crazy versatile and comes in a variety of forms. It’s, quite literally, the ocean’s bounty—with the fishery being the largest, certified sustainable in the world.

Then you’ve got the provenance: Alaska. The final frontier. Caught in those ice-cold waters by boats setting sail out of Dutch Harbor, it’s frozen within minutes in Alaska. Dataessential analysists think that provenance is a big deal. Consumers want to know where their food comes from—and calling out Alaska, like it not only being Maine lobster but also lobster (or Lobstarrrr, as the locals pronounce it) from Maine—means a lot, especially to millennials looking to go to the source for their seafood.

Last, but certainly not least, you’ve got “Wild.” And boy, can I attest to that. Every time I come to Dutch I’m reminded (and not just because of the lack of reliable internet) that we truly are in the WILD. It’s largely untouched. With bald eagles perched on boats and nets and docks and white-tipped mountains reflecting off of ice-cold, perfectly still harbor waters, it’s hard not to get lost in the magical beauty of mother nature. That’s what I call wild.

When you put it all together, you’ve got Wild Alaska Pollock. A perfectly nutritious, delicious and sustainable protein. It’s hard not to be superior with those attributes.

It’s those attributes that our data shows are most motivational to consumers. The provenance. The fact that our fish is wild-caught (as opposed to farmed) and frozen-fresh within minutes of harvest. Our sustainability story and nutrition narrative.

When you call out Wild Alaska by name on menus, consumers—especially millennials—take notice. And that clearly shows through in restaurant sales, which is motivating more and more establishments to “say our name” on menus from coast to coast.

Yes, as Dataessential acknowledged, in the current environment of supply chain challenges, it would be easier to lump Wild Alaska Pollock back under the anonymous whitefish category, making it easy to substitute.

But at what cost?

When you generalize, you lose the transparency consumers are so desperately seeking in their food, and their seafood in particular. That transparency is what we at the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) are trying to make turnkey for customers—so that they can tell the story of Wild Alaska Pollock and use that story as a hook for climate-conscious, seafood-seeking consumers.

And, with everyone’s familiarity with the COVID-friendly QR code menus, telling a story about the proteins on the plate is easier than ever. Digital menus are more easily updated, and restaurants can share more information and go deeper—that’s where seafood, and GAPP, can play a big role: making that information appetizing and accessible.

So, while I have wifi for a moment here in the infamous Dutch Harbor, let me take this moment to say: we couldn’t agree more…and then some. Here’s to menu penetration increasing 25%, or 30%, or more. We’re going to keep fueling that radical transparency in our marketing efforts and we’re here to partner with any restaurants who are vibing with that value.

Keep saying our name, Wild Alaska Pollock fans. We’re here for it.