American and British consumers have added more fish to their diets than any other type of animal protein, according to a new survey.
Over the past five years, 44 percent of consumers in the United States and the United Kingdom have added more fish to their diets, according to Cargill’s latest Feed4Thought survey.
Meanwhile, 41 percent of consumers added more poultry to their diets, 32 percent added beef, and 24 percent added pork.
”More and more people are choosing fish as a source of protein because of its big impact on health and relatively small impact on our planet," said Dan Burke, group director for Cargill's aqua nutrition business in the U.S. and U.K., in a press release.
Nearly three-fourths of the consumers surveyed said they choose to eat fish for health reasons.
There is no difference between farmed and wild-caught fish in terms of health and environmental impact, according to the more than 2,000 consumers surveyed.
“The European Food Safety Authority agrees there are no consistent differences in the safety or nutritional value of wild and farmed fish, and both wild and farmed salmon have low levels of environmental pollutants, according to the Washington State Department of Health and Norway’s National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research," Cargill said.
Consumers also said that responsible fish farms should use resources responsibly and minimize impact on the environment.
”We’re also seeing growing interest in wholesome food production," says Brian Knudson, strategic marketing and technology director for Cargill's aqua business.
To that end, Cargill is expanding its micro-nutrition business, “focused on products that work with an animal's natural biology to improve their overall health and well-being, and reduce the need for antibiotics in aquaculture,” Knudson said.
Younger generations in America said that seafood farmers should help local communities, while younger British consumers said that aquaculture firms should prioritize the treatment of seafood employees.
Photo courtesy of Cargill
