Consumer perception versus scientific evidence of farmed and wild fish: exploratory insights from Belgium

Abstract

The increasing number of marketable fish being supplied from aquaculture is a response to the increasing demand for healthy food and is filling the gap left by depleting natural fish stocks. Little is known about the awareness and perception of the consumer in terms of farmed fish versus fish from capture fisheries. The consumer's subjective point of view is of overriding importance for the production system and product acceptance as well as for future market success. In this paper consumer perception in Belgium is explored and compared against scientific evidence of farmed versus wild fish. Primary data were collected through a consumer survey (April 2003) and focus group discussions (May 2004) with Belgian consumers. The majority of the consumer sample reported no perceived differences between farmed versus wild fish. However, mean perception scores were slightly in favour of wild fish on the attributes 2007 taste, health and nutritious value, in particular among consumers aged 55 years and older. The availability of farmed fish was perceived to be better than that of wild fish, while the consumer's perception of safety did not differ between farmed and wild fish. The focus group discussions indicated that consumers' opinions and beliefs about farmed fish are mainly based on emotion and image transfer from intensive terrestrial livestock production rather than on awareness and factual knowledge of aquaculture.

Eco-Labeled Seafood: Determinants for (Blue) Green Consumption

“…The limited level of knowledge about seafood production systems and environmental impacts from capture fisheries and aquaculture found in this study agrees with results from earlier work, e.g., [12,63,64]. The extent of label recognition differed substantially between logos presented, ranging from 95% for the organic label KRAV to only 23% for ASC.…”

Consumers’ Willingness to Pay for Sustainable Seafood Made in Europe

“…This result is surprising because the lack of knowledge was frequently purported to be a reason for the lack of interest and preference for sustainable fish (Feucht & Zander, 2015) because consumers might underestimate the consequences of their purchase decisions for or against sustainable products due to their lack of knowledge (Brécard, Hlaimi, Lucas, Perraudeau, & Salladarre, 2009). Different studies highlight the fact that knowledge about seafood seems to be frequently limited even though a generic understanding of sustainability in seafood exists Arvanitoyannis, Krystallis, Panagiotaki, & Theodorou, 2004;Feucht & Zander, 2015;Gutierrez & Thornton, 2014;Schlag & Ystgaard, 2013;Verbeke et al, 2007a). Almeida, Altintzoglou, Cabral, & Vaz (2015) and Honkanen, Olsen, & Verplanken (2005) highlighted that higher knowledge is not necessarily related to more sustainable seafood choices.…”

Effect of Rearing System on Body Traits and Fillet Quality of Meagre (Argyrosomus Regius, Asso 1801) Chilled for a Short Time

“…It has been recently demonstrated that fish origin (wild or farmed) and rearing techniques both affect consumer perceptions of fillet quality. According to Verbeke et al (2007), a large majority of consumers believes there are no major differences between farmed and wild fish, even if taste perception is mostly in favour of wild fish. With respect to aquacultured products, the type of farming could be relevant in consumer choices.…”