Recent surveys in both the UK and the Netherlands highlight sharp increases in consumer spending on sustainable seafood, despite almost no rise at all in overall household expenditures during tough financial times.
Independent research shows a 154 percent increase in consumer spending on sustainable seafood in the UK, and a 50 percent increase in the Netherlands.
As a comparison, overall household expenditure grew by just 1 percent between 2007 and 2009.
The “Ethical Consumerism 2010 Report” from the British Co-operative Bank shows that ethical and environmentally friendly food and drinks is one of the fastest growing sectors within the “green goods and services” category (27 percent over the past two years), but the market for sustainable seafood is one of the key drivers of the overall growth across all services and goods.
In a separate survey on food and sustainability carried out by Platform Verduurzaming Voedsel and LEI in the Netherlands, researchers found that spend on sustainable-labelled wild-caught seafood increased by 50 percent in the first six months of 2010, compared to the same period in 2009. Of that expenditure, over two-thirds come from products carrying the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-label for certified sustainable seafood.
During the same period, overall food expenditure in the Netherlands increased by just 1.4 percent.
“We are seeing the same levels of growth in other European markets and the support for MSC labelled products is a testament to shoppers’ desire to reward fisheries prepared to demonstrate they are fishing sustainably”, said Nicolas Guichoux, MSC regional director for Europe.
“In one of the most difficult economic years on record, consumers are holding on to their values and are not turning their backs on ethical considerations. Both the UK and Dutch surveys show that the transformation of the seafood market is not a fair weather trend and is here to stay.”