A recent survey of 500 British shoppers in the United Kingdom, conducted by Whitby Seafoods Ltd revealed that 80% of those polled were unaware of what scampi is. Furthermore, 33.79% thought it was made from prawns, while19% had no idea at all.
Despite the fact that the coated seafood item is purchased by a whopping 5.8 million households across the UK, Whitby Seafoods found that many people not only could not identify its key ingredient, but don’t know how the product is manufactured.
Survey results showed that 33.79% of respondents thought scampi was made of prawn, 17.59% guessed pollock, 11.07% believed it to be monkfish, and 19.7% thought it was something else entirely.
Scampi is in fact breaded langoustine, a small crustacean that is a member of the lobster family. Its scientific name is Nephrops norvegicus.
North Yorkshire-based Whitby Seafoods believes that scampi is a forgotten “jewel” of the sea, and wants to highlight the importance for consumers to know not only what it is but where it’s sourced. The frozen value-added seafood specialist has been catching the shellfish in waters around the British Isles since 1985. In 2017 its factory in Whitby processed 7,635 tons of scampi, which reportedly generated £53 million in sales.“We were genuinely surprised to find out that people are enjoying scampi but don’t really know what it is, especially as it’s a really such a great British treasure of a dish,” said Laura Whittle, sales and marketing director. “We sell over a million portions of scampi a week and want everyone who eats it to know it’s made with wild-caught British langoustine. We are on a mission to reignite the nation’s love of scampi and let them know just how special it is. Hopefully, knowing this, more people will eat it more often at home and not just save it for a seaside treat.”
Whitby Seafoods has seen a 32% rise in demand this year. Its product line has recently been diversified to include fishcakes, whitebait, calamari, lemon and pepper fish goujons, and a gluten-free assortment of offerings.
