Does seafood knowledge relate to more sustainable consumption?
Maybe not!
Portuguese know a lot about seafood comparing to other countries but that does not make them more conscious about the environmental consequences of their choices.
Is it good or bad?
In my opinion, we can only say it is different.
Each country has a tradition on how to prepare seafood and that influences the way people eat and purchase seafood.
The important thing is to find the differences and work based on them to change habits.
In North European countries people are more willing to buy certified seafood.
That is very good but in Portugal does not work in that way.
Nevertheless Portuguese have habits that can be considered very sustainable, as for example the joy of eating small pelagic fish (e.g. sardines).
If more people in the world would eat small fish (e.g. anchovy), we could use more fish as food instead of using to feed other animals (e.g. salmon) and more animal protein would be available directly to people.
Whatever one can find through numbers and statistic analyses, this was what I wanted to tell in the following manuscript :)
Almeida C., Altintzoglou T., Cabral H., Vaz S. (2015) "Does seafood knowledge relate to more sustainable consumption?", British Food Journal, Vol. 117 Iss: 2, pp.894 - 914
Purpose – Portugal is a country with one of the highest seafood consumption per capita in the world. The purpose of this paper is to understand the Portuguese knowledge and attitudes towards seafood and relate it to consumers’ environmental conscious.
Design/methodology/approach – Using an internet-based survey the authors investigated the relation of socio-demographic variables to consumption frequency and how knowledge about seafood is associated with interest in different information when purchasing seafood products.
Findings – Results demonstrate consumption of a high diversity of species. Tuna and cod are the top species related to convenience and food traditions. There is a preference to consume seafood mostly at home and prepared grilled. Differences between higher and lower knowledgeable consumers’ related to seafood, show that the first ones have a more diversified use of species and high prevalence of small pelagic fish.
Research limitations/implications – The findings are influenced by the sample obtained, which over-represents well-educated and higher income people. Moreover the self-reported consumption can be biased by individuals own perceptions and different seafood products. Better estimations of consumption frequency could result from asking more detailed information, as such as by species or meal occasions.
Practical implications – Portuguese consumers have high knowledge about seafood but it is not necessarily related to sustainable choices. To help in sustainable seafood choices it might be more effective to promote existing habits based on Portuguese traditions that still are good alternatives for the marine environment.
Originality/value – A higher consumer’s knowledge does not necessarily mean more sustainability.
Portuguese know a lot about seafood comparing to other countries but that does not make them more conscious about the environmental consequences of their choices.
Is it good or bad?
In my opinion, we can only say it is different.
Each country has a tradition on how to prepare seafood and that influences the way people eat and purchase seafood.
The important thing is to find the differences and work based on them to change habits.
In North European countries people are more willing to buy certified seafood.
That is very good but in Portugal does not work in that way.
Nevertheless Portuguese have habits that can be considered very sustainable, as for example the joy of eating small pelagic fish (e.g. sardines).
If more people in the world would eat small fish (e.g. anchovy), we could use more fish as food instead of using to feed other animals (e.g. salmon) and more animal protein would be available directly to people.
Whatever one can find through numbers and statistic analyses, this was what I wanted to tell in the following manuscript :)
Almeida C., Altintzoglou T., Cabral H., Vaz S. (2015) "Does seafood knowledge relate to more sustainable consumption?", British Food Journal, Vol. 117 Iss: 2, pp.894 - 914
Purpose – Portugal is a country with one of the highest seafood consumption per capita in the world. The purpose of this paper is to understand the Portuguese knowledge and attitudes towards seafood and relate it to consumers’ environmental conscious.
Design/methodology/approach – Using an internet-based survey the authors investigated the relation of socio-demographic variables to consumption frequency and how knowledge about seafood is associated with interest in different information when purchasing seafood products.
Findings – Results demonstrate consumption of a high diversity of species. Tuna and cod are the top species related to convenience and food traditions. There is a preference to consume seafood mostly at home and prepared grilled. Differences between higher and lower knowledgeable consumers’ related to seafood, show that the first ones have a more diversified use of species and high prevalence of small pelagic fish.
Research limitations/implications – The findings are influenced by the sample obtained, which over-represents well-educated and higher income people. Moreover the self-reported consumption can be biased by individuals own perceptions and different seafood products. Better estimations of consumption frequency could result from asking more detailed information, as such as by species or meal occasions.
Practical implications – Portuguese consumers have high knowledge about seafood but it is not necessarily related to sustainable choices. To help in sustainable seafood choices it might be more effective to promote existing habits based on Portuguese traditions that still are good alternatives for the marine environment.
Originality/value – A higher consumer’s knowledge does not necessarily mean more sustainability.