Day one of the show started windy and rainy here in Boston, but that doesn’t seem to have hampered attendance at this years show! A lively crowd was already assembled as I arrived just before 10, and the show floor has been hopping all morning. A quick stop at the iPura booth to chat up master tweeter Jason Simas (@iPura) who reminds me to update my International Boston Seafood Show list on my own Twitter account (which I am now in the process of doing – thanks Jason). We had a brief conversation about the wonders of Twitter – hopefully your phone is buzzing like mine is with all the great updates from the dozens of people tweeting during the show! Lots of great pictures being shared as well…
A brisk walk through the show floor before heading to my first presentation of the day, “Seafood Business Summit: Consumer Insights on Sustainable Seafood." Steve Lutz, Executive Vice President of the Perishables Group, presented results of a recent study focusing on consumer knowledge and preferences regarding sustainable seafood to a full house. I don’t think anyone found the information surprising, but it’s always interesting to hear what industry experts have to say regarding the results.
Our industry experts included: Cathy A. Roheim, Professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics at the University of Rhode Island; Larry Andrews, Retail Marketing Director the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI), and Matt Owens, who directs program management, business development and internal operations at FishWise.
The results of the survey (which will appear in the next issue of Seafood Business magazine) revealed that in general, consumers remain undereducated, confused or unconcerned about issues of seafood sustainability. Food safety remains the top priority of when it comes to the choices made at the seafood counter or restaurants, and price, health and nutrition, family preferences and type of fish all ranked above sustainability.
Roheim encouraged us to see the water in the glass instead of the emptiness. Although we unfortunately lack data to show us what consumers felt about sustainability 10, 15 years ago, she feels that consumer knowledge regarding sustainability has increased, and I’d like to think that it will continue too.
However, all the panelists came back to the idea that it might not even matter what the consumer thinks, and that sustainability choices are more often made by retail purchasing departments and seafood buyers – decisions on sustainability being made long before the end-user even enters the picture. Andrews noted that consumers go to the grocery store expecting safe, wholesome and sustainable food. Owens agreed that consumers remain under-informed, but he too was hopeful that the situation will improve.
Owens suggested that an approach (and one that FishWise uses) is to look at what IS working with the consumers that are educated on issues of sustainability, and to focus on applying that to the consumers that aren’t. He added that although consumers often say they are willing to pay more for sustainable seafood in theory, but then don’t actually act on that idea. The will, however, pay more for products that have proven food safety associated with them – maybe it’s time to revisit that mercury testing program you were looking at.
The research also revealed that awareness of eco-labels is relatively low, and, at least as a concept, not powerfully persuasive. People did seem to be aware of differences between farmed and wild seafood, as well as domestic vs. imported seafood – with farmed ranking as more sustainable than wild, and domestic winning out over imported.
Recognition of sustainability messages at retail was limited – with only 1 out of 5 people recalling any. The panelists also discussed the very word “sustainable” and how difficult it can be to define. What does sustainability mean, and how do we quantify it?
I took these ideas with me when I went back on to the show floor. What I noticed first was the pervasiveness of the word “natural”, which might be even more difficult to define than sustainable! It might be vague, but it certainly is popular; according to the consumer research firm Mintel, “natural" was the most common claim on new products last year…
Catfish has it in the bag – or at least they should – when it comes to supplying consumers with what they claim to be looking for. Farmed and domestic (and delicious! I had some great catfish pate at the Catfish Institute booth - # 2122…). In fact, award winning Arkansas carfish farmer Joey Lawry, who was at the panel, said he left feeling “energized” and that he felt like catfish’s message was getting out there. Stop by the booth and check out their marketing material – you’ll notice safety is a big message, along with reminding consumers the product is farmed in the USA.
I wrapped up day one at a sobering panel on ocean acidification, moderated by Ned Daly, North American Dirctor of Seafood Choices Alliance North American Director. The panel included former commercial fisherman and life-long scholar of the seafood industry, Jon Rowley; Scott Doney, Senior Scientist in the Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Sebastian Belle, Maine Aquaculture Association Director.
Doney started us with a primer on ocean acidification; he kept it basic, pointing out that about a third of the carbon dioxide released by burning fossil fuels ends up in the ocean. The carbon dioxide forms carbonic acid, lowering the pH of the water which makes it hard for marine life to function – namely build shells out of calcium carbonate. I hope I got that right! It’s been a long time sit I sat in a chemistry class…
Rowly and Belle both spoke to the industry perspective on this issue – one from each coast. They both confirmed that their respective aquaculture industries have already started to feel the negative effects of ocean acidification. Belle noted that even a tiny shift in ocean pH causes significant concerns. Rowley referenced the Willapa Bay oyster crisis and its impact on the West Coast oyster industry.
Everyone on the panel agreed that the general public needs to learn more about this issue, and that the seafood industry has a particular responsibility to stay informed as we’ll see potentially huge economic impacts from the negative effects of increasing ocean acidification. Keep you eyes out for a National Academy of Sciences report due out later this year.
March 17, 2010
