Gulf seafood regains “comfort food” status

Observation:   Gulf of Mexico seafood producers were among the hardest hit by the effects of the BP oil spill of 2010.  But a story from Supermarket News suggests that many consumers are once again comfortable with eating goods from the waters of the Gulf coast.  Click here to see the story.

Implications:   If you run a restaurant or a grocery store, this story might lead you to add more Gulf products to your menu… or if you’ve already done that, it might lead you to bring more attention to those offerings.

If you run any other kind of business, it should serve as a reminder that trust lost is not easily regained; the BP oil spill happened almost two years ago, and there has been little bad news on that front since the well was successfully capped.  It has taken all of that time—with little or no bad news coming from the Gulf—before some categories could finally show a comeback.

Mike Anderson, for the Elm Street Economics consumer trends blog. A service of The Center for Sales Strategy, Inc.