PERCENT HOUSEHOLDS USING TUNA 



AlA UMAN L *U*AL NO*J-fA«M 



Mi OTWHBH 



Figure 3- 



Other items we have mentioned, such 

 as income, degree of urbanization, etc., 

 might all be applied to the number of 

 persons or households we are considering 

 and each item has an effect on the per- 

 centages. Figure 3 shows household groups 

 by income. Note that in the urban areas 

 as the income increases the use of tuna 

 increases, whereas in the rural nonf arming 

 area, after a peak of approximately 6,000 

 dollars annually, the use of tuna de- 

 creases as the income increases. Figure h 

 represents some of the same material, but 

 by geographical regions rather than by 

 degree of urbanization. Quite noticeable 

 is the lesser use of tuna in the Southern 

 states, particularly in the low income 

 bracket. In contrast, note the much 

 heavier use of canned tuna in the West 

 by all income brackets. Therefore, by 

 consolidating the various data, we find 

 that the ideal hypothetical tuna con- 

 suming household is one of two or more 

 persons with an income of 10,000 dollars 

 or more living in an urban area in one 

 of the Western States. From a practical 

 standpoint, however, there is no sub- 

 stitute for population density in selling 

 any food product. 



We have another clue as to who is 

 buying tuna. In a 1956 survey (House- 

 hold Consumer Preferences for Canned 

 Fishery Products, 1956) conducted for 

 the Department of the Interior, it was 

 brought out that U8 percent of young 

 married couples and 39 percent of the 

 persons in the 30 -Uo year age group were 

 tuna customers, whereas only 13 percent 

 of the customers were in the older group. 

 This is almost a direct reversal of the 



pattern for salmon and canned sardines 

 and indicates a very bright future 

 insofar as tuna sales are concerned. 



Another item that should be con- 

 sidered is the seasonality of sales. 

 This is brought out in a report of 

 the National Canners Association 

 (1956) known as the Philadelphia 

 Project. Canned fish sales appear 

 to be about equally divided among 

 spring, summer, and winter, indi- 

 cating its use as a menu supplement 

 during Lent, a hot weather salad dish 

 and as a substitute for a less avail- 

 able food during winter. Figure 5 

 shows the percentage of sales by 

 month for the commonly encountered 

 canned fish items. Such promotional ef- 

 forts as Tuna Week have heretofore been 

 directed toward the last three months of 

 the year, and it would indicate that a 

 promotion during that period featuring hot 

 dishes is well aimed. From this particular 

 study we can see that, in Philadelphia at 

 least, tuna outsold all other canned fish 

 items. 



Of great concern to all segments of 

 the industry is the long term outlook for 

 tuna consumption. Upon this prognosis 

 depend plans for future operations. There 

 are several methods that we might use to 

 arrive at a consumption figure for a given 

 point in the future. Any approach assumes 

 that the raw material will be available in 

 relation to needs. Other assumptions 

 naturally are necessary in order to make 

 any kind of a projection of this type. 



PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION 



OKXMAPMIC-KONOMJC 



*I00O-i 

 $4000 -$5000 

 OVER $10,000 



Figure h. 



89 



