Consumer Preferences in Sustainable Aquaculture Products

Consumer demand for aquaculture products that minimise environmental impact is rising alongside concerns over overfishing, greenhouse gas emissions and resource depletion. Preferences are shaped by perceptions of health benefits, taste, provenance and sustainability credentials. Studies reveal that eco-labels and origin information can significantly influence purchase decisions, with consumers often willing to pay a premium for certified products. However, heterogeneity abounds: demographic factors such as age, income and education intersect with psychological drivers—including food neophobia, subjective knowledge and perceived quality—to produce distinct market segments. Successful marketing strategies therefore combine clear, trustworthy labelling with targeted communication of nutritional and ecological advantages. Land-based and low-trophic aquaculture species (for example seaweed and mussels) are emerging as especially attractive to environmentally engaged consumers, while convenience and product format modulate acceptance in mainstream retail channels. Overall, bridging the gap between sustainability credentials and consumer understanding remains critical for scaling up responsible aquaculture production worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Consumer Preferences in Sustainable Aquaculture Products publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in consumer preferences in sustainable aquaculture products across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Eco-label: A certification mark indicating that a product meets defined environmental standards, used to reduce information asymmetry and guide consumer choices towards sustainable options.

Food neophobia: Reluctance to eat or the avoidance of unfamiliar foods, which can moderate the impact of sustainability information on purchase decisions.

Low-trophic aquaculture (LTA): Farming of species low in the food chain (e.g. bivalves, seaweed), valued for high resource efficiency and minimal feed inputs.

Discrete choice experiment: A survey method that presents respondents with hypothetical product scenarios to elicit preferences and quantify willingness to pay for specific attributes.

References

1. European consumers' intention to buy sustainable aquaculture products: An exploratory study. Sustainable Production and Consumption (2024).
2. Barriers and drivers to increasing sustainable bivalve seafood consumption in a mass market economy. Food Frontiers (2023).
3. Sustainability, perceived quality and country of origin of farmed salmon: Impact on consumer choices in the USA, France and Japan. Food Policy (2023).