'Something fishy': consumers wary of appearance

Only a third of Scottish consumers are aware of the recommended amount of fish to eat each week, new research by the Food Standards Agency Scotland has revealed.

According to the findings of a recent survey, the Agency claims that appearance, taste and price are the over-riding factors which dictate how much fish consumers buy. However, environmental issues, such as whether a fish is farmed or wild, have little impact on the fish-buying public.

Research was commissioned by the Agency to find out whether people were aware of how much fish should be eaten as part of a healthy, balanced diet and to find out how much they actually ate. In addition, the study aimed to find out what factors affected people's decision to buy fish.

The research found that 41 per cent of people in Scotland eat fresh fish once or twice a week; 21 per cent eat fish products (for example, fish fingers) once or twice a week; 8 per cent eat shellfish once or twice a week; and just over a third (36 per cent) of people knew they should eat two portions of fish a week. But nearly a third of people interviewed said that appearance is the most important factor influencing their decision to buy fish, followed by taste (16 per cent) and price (14 per cent). Less than one per cent of people cited environmental concerns or country of origin as the most important factor.

The research into people's fish eating and buying habits was conducted by Market Research UK in March 2002 on behalf of the Food Standards Agency Scotland. A copy of the research report Consumption and Purchase of Fish is available from the FSA​ website.