Consumers show more demand and interest with seafood

Overall consumption has fallen but research points to increased demand for certain species.

While overall seafood consumption restaurant owners and some research confirm that consumers are showing more interest in different types of fish and shellfish. A menu research firm, Datassential, lists more than 80 seafood items that are appearing on more menus now versus a year ago. Many of those items, such as branzino and striped bass, are starting from quite low base, appearing on fewer than 2 percent of all menus monitored by Datassential. But others, such as tilapia and grilled salmon, have shown nonstop growth in recent years. Oysters appear on 3.6 percent more menus now than a year ago, and octopus had a strong showing on menus over the past five years, appearing on 17.7 percent more menus now than five years ago and 7.4 percent more menus than a year ago. Forbes even put octopus on its list of top food trends for 2013, noting that introducing the mollusk to the market increased nearly 40 percent between 2010 and 2012.

Note: Supporting data for this study were based on real accounts of well-known chefs and restaurants all over the world. It was found out that there is a “huge increase” in seafood sales in the past years. Even the United States’ Food & Drug Administration’s Dietary Guidelines studied and agreed with that. According to them, that is the result of health-conscious consumers recognizing fish and shellfish as a source of high-quality protein and other nutrients which are essential in their healthful diet.