Mar 16th, 2023
5 mins
Birds Eye is expanding its Chunky Fish Finger range with the launch of a Chip Shop Curry variant. Inspired by one of Britain’s favourite fish and chip toppings – the chip shop curry sauce – the NPD has been created by adding a curry-flavoured panko-breadcrumb to its iconic Chunky Fish Finger, which have performed strongly since launching in 2019. This will be the UK’s first ‘flavoured’ fish finger, but as with all Birds Eye’s products, it contains no artificial colours or flavourings.
Inspired by the nation’s love of a traditional Chippy, this take on the classic Chunky Fish Finger is launching off the back of great success from the existing SKUs which have helped grow the fish finger category over the past two years. Sales of the Chunky range, which consists of Chunky Breaded and Chunky Battered, have increased by +24% since 2020[1] and this delicious new flavour is expected to drive this further.
Mike Sowerby, Marketing Manager for Fish at Birds Eye, said “At Birds Eye we are always looking out for new ways to make mealtimes more exciting and enjoyable for the whole family. We’re looking forward to seeing shoppers add variety to their meals with the launch of our first ever ‘flavoured’ fish finger in the UK. With curry sauce being England’s second most popular (and Wales’ first) chip shop topping on fish and chips[2], it made sense to combine our iconic fish fingers with one of the nation’s most loved condiments. Our Chip Shop Curry Fish Fingers are set to be a real family favourite, having already received excellent sensory feedback during consumer research[3], so we know we will deliver on flavour and appeal to our shoppers’ tastes.
“We know that our previous Chunky Fish Finger launches have added incremental sales to the category, and we’re confident the new addition will follow suit.”
NHS guidelines state that ‘a healthy balanced diet should include two portions of fish a week[4]’, so the Chunky Chip Shop Curry Fish Fingers will help shoppers to increase their fish intake. The new flavour does not contain artificial flavourings and is a source of Vitamin D, which helps to support the normal function of the immune system.
The Chip Shop Curry Sauce Chunky Fish Fingers are available in Farmfoods from 13th March, followed by Asda at the end of May and Iceland later in 2023, with an RRP of £3.75.
[1] Nielsen GB Total Coverage – Latest 52 Weeks – WE 28 January 2023
[2] https://yougov.co.uk/topics/consumer/articles-reports/2020/08/14/what-do-britons-most-their-chips
[3] Nomad qualitative research 2021
[4] https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/fish-and-shellfish-nutrition/
