GSA: Seafood safety a top concern for Japanese consumers
Food safety topped environmental sustainability in a survey of seafood consumers in Japan, which was conducted by the non-profit trade association Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) to better understand the drivers behind purchasing decisions and the market’s awareness of the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) label.
Some 3,000 consumers between the ages of 16 and 65 who consume fish at least two to three times a month were recently surveyed by the GSA. When asked to rank the pillars of responsible seafood in order of importance to them – environmental sustainability, social accountability, food safety, animal welfare and traceability – 68% said food safety was the most important, followed by environmental sustainability at 23.1%.
When asked which part of the aquaculture production chain was most important for conducting a third-party audit, more than a third (36.4%) said that all parts of the production chain are important, followed by the farm at 28.1%.
The study also found that about 15% of consumers have seen the BAP label before, with 4.8% of consumers saying they know what the label means.
“The GSA has a focused initiative to increase the visibility of the BAP label in Japan, aligning with the rising consciousness around food safety and sustainability,” said Denise Gurshin, Senior Director of Market Development. “The recent survey revealed that nearly half of the respondents expressed willingness to preferentially purchase BAP-certified products, which speaks to the value of our certification programme.”
