It’s not easy to keep up with trends these days. First there was avocado toast, charcuterie boards, and cronuts, and now the Internet is obsessed with sardines. Framed as a symbol of affordable luxury and health, sardines are the subject of thousands of searches and TikTok videos. In fact, some are calling the tiny fish “skin care in a can.” The demand for sardines speaks to the power of social media. Sardines have the right attributes to go viral — they’re a source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, relatively inexpensive, and now they’re perceived as “fancy.” All of a sudden, cans of the smelly fish are flying off the shelves. If you're wondering how sardines went from grandpa food to “it" food, it's kind of uncanny……no pun intended. The shift from sitting in a pantry alongside Spam and tuna as cheap to being in high demand is largely about packaging and storytelling. Gen Z’s health and wellness craze, rising food costs, and the obsession with protein and skincare are the catalysts. “Sardinemaxxing” is a social media trend that encourages eating sardines more frequently. Still, you have to be careful. Eating one or two cans a week as part of a varied diet is sensible; eating 1,000 in a month is not a dietary recommendation.
