A young couple comes to the hanger of a supermarket in the north of Guayaquil where canned tuna are displayed. He stops to take the two cans they buy for the fortnight. But being there they begin to see a tuna in a Mexican salad that they have not tried. They decide to purchase the 160 gram presentation for less than a dollar.

In addition to the classic tuna in oil and water, the industry has expanded its offer with new variants and presentations. In the photo, the Nirsa plant. Courtesy

In addition to the classic presentations of tuna in oil and water, the rack of this self-service unit brings together other variants: light, olive, grilled and with beans, some of these with little time on the market. Only in this section there are about 15 types of products made with tuna from different brands.

Tuna is one of the proteins present on the table of Ecuadorian households and one of the rotation products in the fortnight or end of the month in supermarkets. Sunflower oil options of 140 to 184 grams, depending on the brand, can range from $ 1.09 to $ 1.39 at self-service.

The canning industry has been operating in Ecuador for decades, but in the last ten years it has diversified the offer in the lines of canned food, salads and preparations (patés based on tuna and onions).

Mónica Maldonado, executive director of the Ecuadorian Chamber of Tuna Industries and Processors (Ceipa), explains that new generations of consumers are demanding other types of products such as salads and preparations, and that has led the industry to expand its offer.

Consumption of canned tuna in Ecuador represents a monthly average of 100,000 boxes, which a year represent 1,200,000 boxes. Each box can contain 48 units of 160 grams. In weight, this consumption means about 9,792,000 kilograms annually, according to Ceipa.

Due to the confinement that the pandemic generated, the demand for canned tuna grew last year by 3.5%, although this year it has begun to stabilize because there are no longer ‘panic purchases’, according to manufacturers.

Real, Isabel and Van Camps are the traditional brands with the most weight in market share. Campos, Tunalia, Yeli, Montecristi, among others, also compete.

Negocios Industriales Real (Nirsa), which markets different types of products under the Real brand, reports that tuna in sunflower oil has the highest demand. Last year it represented 81% of the total volume.

Martín Catalá, commercial director of Nirsa, indicates that although tuna in oil has a greater participation, consumption of both water and olive has been growing steadily in the last three years.

According to data handled by the industry, the Coast is the region with the highest consumption of the canned tuna category, weighing 55% of the total volume. The Sierra represents 45%.

Nirsa, with facilities in the Posorja parish, is one of the industries that has expanded its portfolio. It is present with tuna in sunflower oil, olive, water, tenderloins, belly, salads and onions.

The latest product that has been introduced is the Real Agua Light tuna in a 70 and 180 gram can. “This has a lower sodium content and is designed mainly for athletes and people who need to reduce their salt intake,” says Catalá.

Conservas Isabel Ecuatoriana is another industry that in recent years has aimed to increase its participation quota. Juan Carlos Calero, executive of that company, maintains that in the last year they have introduced grilled tuna and tuna in pieces with red and white beans. “They are products that are growing little by little and you have to make them known,” says the executive, who agrees that tuna in oil continues to lead the preferences.

The firm also has presentations of tuna belly, pate and salads. Calero maintains that Ecuador has room to continue growing at the level of canned food consumption. “It is a cheap protein,” he says.

In recent years, supermarkets have also entered the competition with their own brands. The production of these so-called private labels is carried out by the same local industries. The Mi Comisariato brand, for example, is produced by Sálica del Ecuador and Ta Rico, which Tía sells and is made by the Asiservy firm.

An onion with a hollow recipe aims to be exported

La Casa del Encebollado, a hollow house that won the Raíces gastronomic contest, managed to make its onion recipe jump to an industrialized version.

The canned onions have been sold in local supermarkets since 2018 under the Real brand, but with the recipe for this hole, whose brand also appears on the labels.

Negocios Industriales Real (Nirsa) indicated that the product was created by an alliance between both brands from which the hole won the Raices contest and was awarded with the industrialization of its recipe and distribution nationwide.

The onion is made with the raw material of Nirsa. The product is currently being sold in Ecuador, but arrangements are being made to export it.

“We are managing its export to the United States to meet the demand of Ecuadorians residing in that country,” says Martín Catalá, commercial director of Nirsa.

How much fish does an Ecuadorian consume?

A recent study by Espol researchers called “Per capita consumption of fish in Ecuador during the year of the 2020 pandemic” found that the average per capita consumption was 13.48 kg per person.

These values ​​differ according to the locality due to the diet they have. Thus, for example, in Balao it was located at 24.12 kg / year; Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (Galapagos) at 17.72 kg / year; Durán, 11.64 kg / year; Portoviejo, 11.02 kg / year; Quito, 10.83 kg / year; Daule, 10.14 kg / year; and Guayaquil, 8.98 kg / year.

The study identifies tuna as one of the species with the highest consumption, followed by corvina, weevil, dorado and catfish.

“Ecuador still has work to promote the local consumption of fish, even more so given the great diversity of species it has and the health benefits of this protein,” says Bruno Leone, president of the National Chamber of Fisheries.

Fish consumption worldwide stands at 20.5 kg per year and Ecuador is below that average.

Around 10% of the volume processed in the country is destined to satisfy the demand of the local market. (I)