The Latest TikTok Star Is Canned Tuna

To capitalize on the trend, canned-fish sellers are launching new products, expanding production and working with social-media influencers. The cans now feature flavored olive oils, tomato sauces and spices, sport snazzy labels and cost as much as $20.

Mathew Scaletta, chief executive of Wildfish Cannery, said he has seen a noticeable increase in sales of canned fish and that the Alaska-based company is struggling to meet demand. Wildfish first saw sales jump in 2020 amid the pandemic, he said, and last year its wholesale revenue doubled.

Wildfish touts that its tinned fish is harvested, smoked and hand-packed in Alaska, and includes flavoring such as sumac and dill. Its products carry a higher price tag than typical grocery-store tuna varieties that sell for a couple of dollars. “Before we had a lot of explaining to do when people asked, ‘Why is this can $20?’” Mr. Scaletta said.

Wildfish has leased new production space and added equipment to keep up and is now in the early stages of planning a new cannery on Alaska’s Prince of Wales Island, Mr. Scaletta said.

Larger canned-fish producers, such as Bumble Bee Foods LLC, are ramping up marketing efforts. The San Diego-based company last year launched a “Good for You” advertising campaign targeting a younger audience to promote its higher-end cans and dispel perceptions that canned fish isn’t versatile or fitting of foodie aspirations. It also sells a “Protein on the Run” line, which comes with crackers, a spoon and a caramel treat.

“Tuna can do more than the standard tuna sandwich,” said Jeremy Zavoral, Bumble Bee’s brand marketing director. “It’s possible to have a gourmet experience with a can of tuna.”

A big driver of interest, industry executives say, has been social media. A search on the social-media app TikTok shows to date more than 25 million views for videos tagged #tinnedfish, with users sharing their experiences with different cans and recommending certain brands. 

Ali Hooke, a former professional chef who now makes online food videos, posted her first “tinned fish date night” video last year when stuck at home with little to eat. “We just had some tinned fish in the cabinet and so we poured a really nice glass of wine and toasted some sourdough,” she said. “That was all we had, but it was so fun and so enjoyable.” 

Since then, she has posted more than a dozen such date-night videos to guide couples looking to experiment with new foods at home, featuring cans of sardines or mussels from different countries such as Denmark and France used as the centerpiece of a charcuterie board. 

Canned-fish producers say the online buzz has fueled sales. Scout Canning, based in Vancouver, said its revenues rose 82% to $4 million last year. To help boost its exposure, the company has worked with popular TikTok users such as Ms. Hooke, who alone refers roughly 500 people a month to its site, the company said.

Adam Bent, Scout’s chief executive, said consumers were using artisan canned fish as a sort of “cultural cachet” to impress friends and family.

“It’s the same kind of experience that you have with natural wine,” Mr. Bent said. “It’s kind of that next cool food item.”

Scout said it plans to launch new product kits that pair its cans of yellowfin tuna with crunchy toppers including jalapeño and za’atar. It has also started sourcing fish from Mexico, alongside the U.S. and Canada, to help meet demand.

While the rise in demand has been a boon for producers, it has resulted in some supply problems for specialty retailers.

Patrick Martinez, founder of U.K.-based the Tinned Fish Market, started selling canned seafood four years ago in markets in Liverpool, Manchester and London. He sources many of his products from small producers in Spain and Portugal, where canned fish has long been a popular cheap food option.

Now, higher demand is leading to delays of up to five months, Mr. Martinez said, with many products only made to order. “This type of artisanal production can’t be scaled up easily,” he said.

He said suppliers had raised prices but he had so far refrained from passing on the cost to avoid putting off new younger customers.

Claire Dinhut has posted videos showing her online followers the range of canned fish varieties and recipe ideas, even though some comments call them bizarre. “I think there used to be a lot of shame associated with tinned fish,” Ms. Dinhut said. “One, because it was considered a poor man’s food and two, because, oh, it’s stinky.”

Write to Yusuf Khan at [email protected]