Thailand Tuna Can, Frozen Seafood Export Deep Dive
Thailand world's #1 canned tuna exporter ~40-45% global; ~USD 5-7B export. Thai Union, Chicken of Sea, John West, Sea Value, Pataya. EU IUU yellow-card reform.
Key takeaways
- 1
Thailand world's #1 canned tuna exporter ~ global share; ~ canned tuna export FY2024.
- 2
Destination: US ~, EU+UK ~, Japan+Korea+China ~, Middle East+Africa ~, ASEAN+LatAm+others ~.
- 3
Thai Union (SET: TU) world's largest tuna processor, owns Chicken of Sea, John West, Mareblu, Petit Navire, King Oscar, Genova brands.
- 4
Sea Value, Pataya, Royal, Songkla Canning, smaller Thai processors round out top-10 export.
- 5
Sustainability, IUU, EU yellow-card 2015-2019 reform, WCPFC, ISSF, MSC, fair-trade, traceability dominant operating themes.
Executive summary
Thailand is world's #1 canned tuna exporter (~ global share, FY2024 canned-tuna export value); plus frozen seafood, value-added cooked, ready-to-eat segment growing structurally vs commodity raw frozen. Thai Union Group (SET: TU) is dominant global player, world's largest tuna processor; owns global brand portfolio: Chicken of the Sea (US #1 canned tuna brand), John West (UK, Netherlands), Mareblu (Italy), Petit Navire (France), King Oscar (Norway sardine, tuna), Genova (US premium). Other major Thai processors: Sea Value Group (private, top-10 global tuna processor with private-label, brand portfolio), Pataya Food Industries (private), Royal Foods (private), Songkla Canning (private), I.S.A. Value (private), and smaller specialty, niche processors. Total ~25-30 Thai canned-tuna processors export-licensed.[, , , , ]
Destination mix: US ~ of Thai canned, frozen seafood export value (Chicken of Sea anchor, private-label, retail, foodservice), EU, UK ~ (John West, Mareblu, Petit Navire, private-label, Aldi, Lidl, Carrefour, Tesco), Japan, Korea, China ~ (Japanese tuna, Asian preference), Middle East, Africa ~ (canned tuna staple, halal-certified, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, UAE), ASEAN, Latin America, others ~. Tuna sourcing: Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPFC quota), Indian Ocean (IOTC), Atlantic (ICCAT), Eastern Pacific (IATTC); skipjack, yellowfin, albacore, tongol, bonito species; Thai Union, Sea Value, Pataya, processors operate own, contract fleet, procurement, Bangkok-Samut Sakhon-Mahachai-Songkhla processing cluster.[, , , ]
Sustainability, IUU, ESG: EU IUU (Illegal Unreported Unregulated) Yellow Card Thailand 2015-2019 reform: EU DG MARE issued Thailand Yellow Card 2015 citing IUU concerns, forced-labor, traceability gaps; Thai government, DoF, Thai Union led industry-wide reform: vessel-monitoring system (VMS), electronic reporting, observer programme, traceability, worker-rights, Migrant Worker Rights Network protections; EU lifted Yellow Card 2019; ongoing compliance, audit. ISSF International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, WCPFC, IOTC, ICCAT regional fishery management organisation participation; MSC Marine Stewardship Council certification on selective fisheries; ESG-buyer, Walmart, Costco, Tesco, Carrefour audit, supplier-certification requirements; Thai Union 'SeaChange' sustainability programme. Forced-labor, Migrant Worker Rights post-2014 reform; Samut Sakhon fishing port migrant-workforce historic concern, ILO Ship to Shore, IJM, Verite monitoring.[, , , ]
Thai canned tuna, frozen seafood export destination mix (% of FY2024 ~USD 5-7B)
US (~32% of canned, frozen export)
Share %
Anchor, brand
Chicken of Sea anchor, private-label, retail, foodservice
| Destination | Share % | Anchor, brand |
|---|---|---|
| US (~32% of canned, frozen export) | 32% | Chicken of Sea anchor, private-label, retail, foodservice |
| EU, UK (~26%) | 26% | John West, Mareblu, Petit Navire, Aldi, Lidl, Carrefour, Tesco |
| Japan, Korea, China (~16%) | 16% | Japanese, Asian preference, Walmart China |
| Middle East, Africa (~12%) | 12% | Iraq, Iran, Egypt, UAE, Saudi halal-certified |
| ASEAN, Latin America, others (~14%) | 14% | ASEAN, Latin America, niche specialty |
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