EU study examines seafood consumption habits

16 Jan 2017
The Eurobarometer survey on revealed that seafood consumption is increasing

The Eurobarometer survey on revealed that seafood consumption is increasing

A recent investigation into EU consumers' attitudes into seafood consumption habits has revealed that with seafood consumption up again, sustainable supply is even more essential than before.

The Eurobarometer survey on EU consumer choices revealed that seafood consumption is increasing, with 42% of Europeans now eating fish/aquaculture products at home at least once a week.

Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said: "This survey helps us see how Europeans choose their seafood. This helps inform our policies. We must make sure that consumers continue to have a wide range of high quality seafood to choose from. That is why we are determined to reach targets on sustainable fishing by 2020.”

This survey also reveals that how far people live from the sea plays an important role in how often they eat fish. 

For seafood, there was a strong preference for regional, national and European origin (80%). The majority of consumers indicated that they like to try new products and species, which shows the importance and potential of diversified sourcing.

Reducing import dependency by developing sustainable fishing and aquaculture in the EU was again emphasised with 68% of consumers indicating that they would eat more fish if the prices were lower.

The survey findings are largely confirmed in another new study by EUMOFA, the Commission's European market observatory for fisheries and aquaculture products.

This study, which looked into retailers' strategies and national campaigns promoting seafood consumption, notes the growing importance of farmed seafood products in the EU market.

Related articles

view more

Links to related companies and recent articles ...

European Commission

view more

Images for this article - click to enlarge

The Eurobarometer survey on revealed that seafood consumption is increasing Image copyright © Mercator Media 2017, or image used with permission of the copyright holder unless otherwise stated.