The future of UK seafood consumption
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As with other parts of the food sector, the seafood industry is facing severe challenges but also the prospect of substantial opportunity. We’re exploring how seafood consumption in the UK is changing and how key drivers are generating opportunities and threats now and into the future.
Drawing on insight, horizon scanning and industry expertise we have produced our Fish as Food horizon review into the future of seafood consumption.
The review has been produced to help industry navigate seafood consumption challenges. There are immediate challenges such as inflation, cost-of-living, and the Russia/Ukraine conflict. These challenges, and others, could lead to significant structural change for the industry.
The review briefly describes current challenges, reviews longer term trends, and how these trends may play out. An anticipated pathway forward is provided with high level recommendations on industry response.
The Fish as Food review concludes that:
- In the wider world major changes are afoot, driven by economic and food security prospects and climate change.
- Major changes are underway in food expectations
- Food production may alter fundamentally
- Seafood could struggle under tough conditions in the next five years
However, in the face of these changes, seafood has a window of opportunity:
- Seafood’s position in the market will be strengthened if it is promoted as a high-quality protein that is value for money.
- Efforts should be made to ‘foreground’ the great taste of seafood to consumers.
- Trust in seafood will be enhanced by greater consistency in supply chains.
- Seafood formats may need to be reinvented to match the needs of key consumers.
- Health has been a relatively neglected aspect of seafood, yet is a major opportunity.
Seafood stakeholders need to work together to address these challenges, with efforts directed towards reaching a common language.
You can download the full report on our Fish as Food deep review and the report appendices from the links below:
You can also get the report from an older Fish as Food review, published in spring 2016, from the link below:
You can access additional resources with data and insight on current seafood consumption in the UK from the links below:
You can also access information and resources on consumer attitudes towards buying and eating seafood from the link below:
Get in touch
For further information on this review or our wider seafood horizons work please contact: