When many people think about trending food items, they probably think of Erewhon smoothies or meat alternatives. But what about tinned fish?While tinned seafood has long been popular in Portugal, Italy and Spain, it hasn’t been a big part of American eating culture — until now that is. According to Persistence Market Research, tinned fish market revenue was estimated at US$9.5 billion in 2022, but it is expected to nearly double over the next decade to reach US$17.2 billion, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 5.7 per cent from 2023 to 2033.In fact, the popularity of tinned fish has been so great that the Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine opened its first bricks-and-mortar store outside of Portugal in New York City’s Times Square just this summer, with a 10-year lease on the location. From an outside perspective, it may be hard to conceive an entire store dedicated to tinned fish products, from sardines to octopus. However, a closer look at the health and social motivations behind this trend reveals a much clearer picture. The not-so-fishy rise of the tinned fish marketOne major factor that has contributed to the sudden popularity of tinned fish is the heightened level of health consciousness amongst grocery shoppers. Tinned fish is considered an optimal choice thanks to its high level of omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial to heart and brain health. Another, less expected, element driving the growth of this market is the trendiness of tinned fish amongst Gen Z and millennial consumers, who tend to be much more adventurous, from a culinary perspective, than older generations. “A heightened interest in caviar and cottage cheese has contributed to the trend in embracing acquired tastes,” Melissa Minkow, a director of the retail strategy at CI&T, noted. “There’s a quirkiness and an element of luxury to this movement, bolstered by other trending foods that have highly specific flavour profiles and textures.”Even those who don’t self-identify as either particularly health-conscious or foodies are picking up tinned fish boxes solely for their brightly coloured and quirky packaging.  “While the fish itself isn’t visually appealing,” Minkow mused, “the way it’s merchandised is, so there’s an aesthetic element to the packaging that is significant.”One brand with particularly eye-catching packaging that is also crushing the game when it comes to cross-category collaborations and raising consumer awareness is Fishwife. The flourishing world of FishwifeBecca Millstein and Caroline Goldfarb launched the brand in December 2020, and since entering the retail scene, it has become one of the most well-known brands in the snack category, let alone the tinned fish sector. Addison Cain, a beauty strategy and innovation manager at consumer behaviour and trend analysis company Spate, reported that the average number of US-based Google searches for Fishwife increased by 74.9 per cent year-over-year compared to this time last year. The brand also receives a monthly average of 20,900 searches in the US solely via Google and has over 124,000 Instagram followers. Beyond its aesthetically appealing packaging and tasty flavour variation, the female-founded tinned seafood company has won over its largely female and millennial/Gen Z fan base with unique collaborations with brands, including Fly by Jing, Lisa Says Gah, East Fork Pottery and several others. Last weekend, Fishwife held its first pop-up in New York City’s Nolita neighbourhood. A long line of customers eagerly waited outside in the rain to grab free samples, check out partnership activations with other foodie favourites, like Apollo Bagels, and purchase Fishwife merchandise. Even longer lines are expected this weekend for the second round of the pop-up.What other brands can learn from Fishwife In addition to conventional partnerships with other culinary brands like Fly by Jing, Fishwife has launched more fashionable products with companies like the trendy apparel brand Lisa Says Gah. With intriguing releases across multiple lifestyle categories, Fishwife has taken tinned fish from simply being a culinary option to part of a larger aesthetic trend, like Brat or Barbiecore. Even luxury companies like Staud and Bottega have been tapping into the tinned fish aesthetic, with the former brand launching a beaded bag resembling a tin of sardines and the latter launching a leather bag with a sardine-shaped handle.