Gary and Aaron each have young families. Nash is a single father, caring for two kids. Miki is a single professional woman with no children while Yvette, Fran and Leslie are each busy moms. And Debbie is a grandmother. These Las Vegas citizens were all subjects of the "Consumer Panel: Focus on Fish," the first consumer panel presented by the National Fisheries Institute at its Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference last week at the Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino. And what they had to say about seafood was worth the price of admission.
It's rare that U.S. seafood executives get the chance to hear unedited, unabashed comments about their products and what consumers like - and don't like - when at a restaurant or strolling the aisles of their favorite grocery store. It's even more unusual when feedback is provided in the company of their industry colleagues and competitors, with no two-sided mirror to hide behind. But that's what made the unscripted consumer panel so fascinating.
The consumer panel fielded questions about their seafood-consumption habits from Steve Lutz, executive VP of the Perishables Group of West Dundee, Ill., and later from the audience. They were asked their primary considerations about buying seafood (price seemed to be the least of their worries), where they like to shop (split among specialty retailers, supermarkets and club stores) and about food safety, sustainability, marketing, customer service and more.
Whether the feedback from these eight ordinary folks was favorable or not, what came pouring out of them was valuable. The most outspoken of the group, and perhaps the most knowledgeable, was Miki, who moved to Las Vegas from Miami only a few years prior.
When she told the audience that she eschews beef, pork and chicken for seafood, she naturally earned a hearty round of applause. She also said she avoids anything imported from China and only eats wild salmon (not farmed), and lots of it. And when asked about her canned tuna consumption, she quipped, "I made a conscious decision to not have kids, so I can eat all the canned tuna I want!" Her glib remark was indicative of the confusion and hype surrounding the methylmercury issue. Yes, people actually think this way.
Interestingly, the panelists were not intimidated by their own responsibilities as consumers to dig for information about the seafood they buy. "Give us more choices and we'll buy more," said Leslie, a working mother. But it was clear that the message of sustainability was a much harder concept for them to grasp. When asked about the impact of eco-labels that designate products from sustainable and well-managed fisheries, none of them were even aware that such programs existed.
This panel discussion could have been a total disaster, rife with ignorance and negative sentiments, but it wasn't. The healthful message of seafood is definitely hitting home. But it's clear that other important stories need to be told, like sustainability. To you message makers out there: Keep it simple stupid - but remember that the average consumer is anything but.
