Consumer Knowledge and Perception about Fresh Fish from Organic Farming in Croatia

Abstract

Along with growing consumer awareness about the impact of food on health, there is a trend towards increasing fresh fish consumption. At the same time, the demand for organic food is increasing in the modern market. Although fruits, vegetables and nuts have the biggest share in the organic food market in Europe, the aquaculture production of organic fish is also growing. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to explore the knowledge and perception of Croatian consumers about fresh fish from organic farming. An online and face-to-face survey was conducted on a sample of 303 respondents. Data analysis (univariate and bivariate) was performed using SPSS Statistics for Windows. Most consumers have medium and low subjective knowledge about fresh fish from organic farming, and objective knowledge about fresh fish from organic farming is low. Only half of the consumers are aware that they can buy fresh fish from organic farming in the domestic market. Half of the consumers have already consumed fresh organic fish, and half are willing to pay a higher price for fresh fish from organic farming. Compared to fresh fish from conventional farming, respondents consider fresh organic fish to be healthier, tastier and to have less fat, but also more expensive and less available.

Profiling of Croatian Consumers Based on Their Intention to Consume Farmed Fish

“…The highest interest in eco-labels was demonstrated in Cluster 1, which suggests that this segment of consumers not only have the strongest desire to consume farmed fish, but they are also highly sensitive to ecological and environmental features when buying fish. A recent study conducted in Croatia, however, revealed that only half of the study participants are willing to pay a higher price for fresh fish with an organic label, and half of them are even unaware of the possibility to buy such fish [ 30 ]. This points out the need for better communication with and education of consumers as to what a sustainable eco-label is [ 69 ].…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, only a few studies have investigated fish consumption in Croatia [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ] and only one study has focused on farmed fish, examining consumer knowledge and perception about fish from organic aquaculture [ 30 ]. In view of the above, the aim of this study is to identify segments of Croatian fishery consumers based on their intention to consume marine farmed fish and to detect similarities and differences among these segments according to their sociodemographic characteristics, fish consumption habits and preferences in at-home and away-from-home occasions, beliefs about wild and farmed fish, knowledge about fish, usual place of purchase, and sources from which they obtain information about products.…”

Fish Consumption: Influence of Knowledge, Product Information, and Satisfaction with Product Attributes

“…Recent research has shown that Croatian consumers are not knowledgeable about fresh organic fish. Only half of the study participants are aware of the possibility of buying fish from organic aquaculture in Croatia, and half of them are willing to pay a premium price for the fresh fish with this label [56]. Eco-labelled fish has a relatively higher price, and when considering the existing dissatisfaction of Croatian consumers with the price of fish, it is questionable whether eco-labelled products in Croatia could reach a larger group of consumers.…”

Ultrasound-Assisted Slightly Acidic Electrolyzed Water in Aquatic Product Sterilization: A Review

“…The above biocides have certain limitations, including a potential danger to people or the environment, pesticide residues, and inferior food quality. Accordingly, research and development of safe and effective sterilization methods for aquatic products have aroused extensive attention [ 7 ].…”