

The Tinned Fish Trend Isn’t New — At BELA, It’s a Way of Life
The tinned fish trend may be having its viral moment, but for BELA, it’s nothing new. What’s now considered TikTok chic or charcuterie-board cool has been a staple of our heritage for decades — long before it ever trended on social media.
As TASTE magazine recently explored in their piece, “The Tinned Fish Backlash Was Inevitable,” this trend has hit a turning point. What started as a love letter to underappreciated pantry staples has been co-opted by hype: inflated prices, mass production, and packaging that sells more style than substance.
But while the tinned fish trend may ebb and flow, BELA stays the course. Because to us, tinned fish isn’t a trend — it’s tradition.
Rising Above the Tinned Fish Trend
BELA has been crafting premium tinned seafood for nearly 30 years. We were founded by a mother and son duo — Florence and Joshua — with roots in both New England and Portugal. Our fish is hand-packed at a fourth-generation cannery, using traditional methods that honor the past while meeting today’s highest sustainability standards.
While some brands chased trends, we stayed grounded:
Fish Means Family
Hand-packed. Family-owned. No corporate hands involved.
Tradition, Not Trend
MSC-certified. Small boats. Generations of craft.
Everyone’s Welcome to the Table
Fair price. Real food. No gatekeeping.
Flavor Over Followers
We cook for taste, not the algorithm.
Craft Over Clout
We don’t sell vibes. We sell fish.
What the Tinned Fish Trend Gets Wrong
The tinned fish trend has created new opportunities — but it’s also driven prices up, strained fish stocks, and pushed heritage producers to the sidelines. At BELA, we welcome new interest in this beloved food tradition. But we refuse to compromise on what matters: sustainability, integrity, and access.
That’s why we’ve never marked up our prices just to ride the trend. It’s why we use only wild-caught, responsibly harvested fish. And it’s why our tins taste like something made with care — not like a branding exercise.
This is seafood with soul. And we believe everyone deserves a seat at the table.
The Difference Between Trend and Tradition
If you’re new to tinned fish, welcome. But know there’s a difference between fish made for clout and fish made for real people. BELA isn’t trying to go viral — we’re trying to feed you well.
So read the TASTE article. Learn what’s really going on. And the next time you’re staring at a shelf full of cute tins with $30 price tags, ask yourself: is this a product of tradition — or a trend?
BELA will be here either way. Same standards. Same soul. Always.
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