The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) has completed its largest and most comprehensive consumer research to date, through an independent market research agency, interviewing more than 15,000 consumers in 14 different countries about their perception and consumption of seafood. The survey revealed several insights into consumer behaviour.
87% of consumers interviewed acknowledge that including fish and seafood in their daily shopping is quite important or very important. Unsurprisingly, price is a top consideration for people when grocery shopping and notably when shopping for seafood. Spain has the highest percentage of consumers who think including fish and seafood is important (92%) while the Netherlands and Japan have the lowest percentage, but still with strong agreement at 81%.
More than half of Danish (52%) and US (51%) consumers think it is very important to include fish and seafood in their food shopping.
Sustainability labels chosen for health and safety credentials
83% of consumers are motivated to some degree to choose seafood with a sustainability label. Top considerations are that the product is safe and healthy for them and their families: free of antibiotics and chemicals (46%), comes from a healthy place with good water conditions (35%) and is safe to eat (30%). Social responsibility and worker welfare are less important considerations.
Sustainability as a consideration when shopping for seafood is highest in North-West Europe, followed by South Europe and North America, with Asia lowest on the list. Italy has the highest percentage of consumers who choose sustainable products when there is a choice (82%) while Japan has the lowest (48%).
The survey shows that 67% of people are interested in buying more sustainable products, yet only 2% spontaneously think about sustainability when they are shopping for fish or seafood in the supermarket.
Independent certification schemes are trusted the most
Certification scheme labels can be the perfect prompt that consumers need in the supermarket, and the importance of reliable and independent certification schemes is clear in the research.
When asked about trustworthiness of sources of information, consumers trust independent certification schemes the most (21%) – more than environmental organisations, seafood brands, retail brands or other sources.
The data shows that consumers associate certification logos with higher-quality fish/seafood and safety. The highest awareness and importance of logos for consumers is in Germany and lowest in Japan.
Find out more at: https://www.asc-aqua.org