Sushi is expected to continue on its upward trajectory after years of success. Particularly in the past year, sushi sales rose 3.2% and volume was up 3.6% for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 1, according to Circana.

“That’s a nice increase for a large prepared category worth $2.7 billion,” said Chris DuBois, executive vice president, Fresh Foods Practice Leader at Circana.

The increase was partly due to an average price decline of 0.5% over the past year, DuBois noted.

Sushi is the second most incremental category in the deli department, behind chicken, according to DuBois.

“It’s growing pretty quickly relative to the rest of the store and bringing volume with it. Seafood can be one of the most important and powerful categories in prepared foods and that’s a huge deal,” he said.

While some other prepared seafood items have lost sales, sushi sales have surged 64% over the past four years, according to Anne-Marie Roerink, principal of consulting firm 210 Analytics, demonstrating that consumers “will support great products that fit their needs and lifestyles.”

The popularity of sushi can be used as a gateway to grow engagement — particular among younger demographics — with the fresh seafood department, Roerink suggested. For instance, Generation Z “under indexes for refrigerated/fresh seafood, but loves sushi.”

H-E-B is attempting to grab that shopper’s interest with a grab-and-go section in the front of some stores with an extensive selection of sushi alongside several ready-to-cook and heat-and-eat seafood dishes such as shrimp appetizer and a salmon, starch and vegetable meal, Roerink said.

“Consumers who are browsing the set with sushi in mind may encounter these dishes and start to integrate seafood for lunch or dinner. From there, the leap to the seafood department becomes a whole lot easier.”