The cost of seafood is one of the leading concerns for seafood shoppers, but consumers are also very concerned about mercury in seafood and the sourcing origins of their fish, a new survey says.
In Washington, D.C., U.S.A.-based Blue Circle Foods’ survey of 300 consumers, the sustainable seafood supplier found that price is the number one attribute when declining which fish or seafood to purchase. “Where the fish is from” was ranked second, while “no mercury, GMOs, or PCBs” was ranked as the third-most important attribute.
In addition, 90 percent of shoppers are concerned about contaminants like mercury in fish and seafood, 88 percent are concerned about ocean pollution, 86 percent are worried about the extinction of wild fish species, and 83 percent are concerned about seafood mislabeling.
While price is a leading concern for infrequent seafood shoppers, frequent shoppers rank source and contaminants above price, Nina Damato, supply chain manager at Blue Circle, told SeafoodSource.
“What we find interesting is the intersection between price and consumer demand for information on where seafood comes from and what it contains – people care about cost but also want to know the full story behind their food choices,” she said.
Regarding consumers’ mercury concerns, Damato believes education about safe and sustainable seafood is critical.
“There’s a lot of information out there about what seafood is high in mercury, like tuna, but not as much about other options that are low in mercury. Salmon is generally very low in mercury and in particular, sustainably farmed salmon,” she said.
The survey also found that a majority of shoppers purchase seafood at a supermarket, followed by a big box store such as Walmart or Target, followed by a fish market/specialty store/farmer’s market, and then a warehouse club, and lastly, online.
Shoppers are most likely to agree with the statement that “frozen fish and other seafood are less expensive than fresh fish and other seafood” and they are most likely to disagree with the statements that “fish and other seafood taste better than fresh fish and other seafood” and “frozen fish and other seafood are higher quality than fresh fish and other seafood,” the survey found.
The survey also revealed that American parents may be feeding their children seafood more frequently than other data shows. Eighty-three percent of shoppers agreed that their children enjoyed eating fish and other seafood, and 72 percent believe their children are eating enough fish and seafood. Eighty-two percent of children had eaten fish or seafood by 10 years old or earlier, while 47 percent of shoppers offered their children seafood by the time they were five years old.
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