A systematic review of the determinants of seafood consumption

Abstract

Although seafood is considered to be an important part of a balanced diet, many national food consumption surveys suggest that seafood is not consumed in sufficient amounts. As consumers are moving to diversify their diet from animal-based protein(1), it is important to understand the factors influencing consumption of marine foods. This review aims to assess the characteristics of seafood consumers as well as the influences on seafood consumption in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Systematic search strategies were used to identify relevant journal articles from three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science and EMBASE). Three searches were carried out and identified 4405 unique publications from which 121 met the criteria for the review process. The reviewed studies revealed that seafood consumers were more likely to be older, more affluent, more physically active, and were less likely to smoke compared to non-seafood consumers. Sex and Body Mass Index (BMI) did not appear to have a directional association with seafood consumption. The most commonly reported barriers to seafood consumption were cost, followed by sensory or physical barriers, health and nutritional beliefs, habits, availability and cooking skills. The most commonly reported influences were beliefs about the contribution of seafood to health, environmental influences and personal preferences. Based on the findings of this review, future intervention strategies to increase seafood consumption may need to consider affordability and education in terms of health, nutrition and cooking skills. More research is needed to explore the effectiveness of specific interventions at increasing the consumption of seafood.

Consumer Seafood Waste and the Potential of a ‘Direct-from-Frozen’ Approach to Prevention

“…Perceptions and knowledge: This study echoed the findings in consumer seafood research regarding common seafood-related perceptions [15][16][17]20]; here, we considered the ways these views may influence waste. Perceptions about the relative quality of fresh vs. frozen seafood, and the lack of knowledge that much "fresh" seafood was once frozen, can shape willingness to accept frozen seafood.…”

“…These synthese included a comprehensive 2020 literature review on consumer food waste from a U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) panel [24] (on which the lead author of this manuscript served), four reviews on consumer seafood behavior, and a recent comprehensive seafood survey of U.S. consumer attitudes and behaviors. [15][16][17][18]20] The concept model was built iteratively, first by reviewing the current findings and mind-mapping the relevant insights about consumer seafood waste behavior. The model was then edited and shaped based on relevant insights from these two separate sources.…”

“…(Table S2 shows how our categories align with the 11 categories of food waste drivers identified by the NASEM report [24]) Proficiency/familiarity: Seafood is less frequently eaten in the U.S. and many other countries compared to terrestrial meats [4,5]. Consumers often have relatively low familiarity, self-efficacy, knowledge and skill regarding seafood selection, handling and risk assessment [15,17,19,20,28] which may lead to unnecessary discards via errors or caution. Many compensate for low proficiency and related anxieties by limiting selections to familiar products or holding relatively rigid "protocols" for seafood selection, handling, recipes and storage [15][16][17][18].…”

“…Consumers often have a relatively low level of proficiency (both skill and self-efficacy) in managing seafood compared to other foods. Additionally, they may have anxieties linked with concerns about foodborne bacteria and broader risks in the seafood supply, such as mercury content [15,19,20]. Several studies support the centrality of habit and familiarity in seafood choices, including reliance on tried-and-true purchasing and recipes [20][21][22].…”

“…Additionally, they may have anxieties linked with concerns about foodborne bacteria and broader risks in the seafood supply, such as mercury content [15,19,20]. Several studies support the centrality of habit and familiarity in seafood choices, including reliance on tried-and-true purchasing and recipes [20][21][22]. Finally, frozen seafood may be preferred to fresh for its lower price, or avoided due to perceptions about lower quality.…”