Eumofa Analyzes the Causes of the Downward Trend in Consumption of Fish and Aquaculture Products in the EU

✓ Consumption fell from 12.94 million tons in 2014 to 10.25 million tons in 2023, representing a 21% decrease.

✓ Spain, along with Portugal, leads in the consumption of these products.

✓ In countries like Italy and Poland, on the other hand, there has been a slight increase.

The latest report from the European Fisheries and Aquaculture Market Observatory (EuMOFA), ‘Consumption of Fisheries and Aquaculture Products in the EU,’ analyzes the downward trend in the consumption of fisheries and aquaculture products in the EU in recent years and its possible causes. Consumption fell from 12.94 million tons in 2014 to 10.25 million tons in 2023, representing a 21% decrease. Per capita consumption in 2023 was 22.9 kg, its lowest level in a decade.

The study provides a comprehensive assessment of the evolution of fishery and aquaculture product consumption in the EU, examining changes in consumption patterns, consumer behavior and preferences, and the main economic and structural factors shaping demand.

EU apparent consumption declined from 12.94 million tons in 2014 to 10.25 million tons in 2023, while per capita consumption fell from 25.5 kg to 22.9 kg, its lowest level of the decade. Trends varied considerably across Member States: consumption decreased in countries including Spain, France and Lithuania, while it increased in Italy, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Portugal and Spain remained the EU’s largest per capita consumers.

From Frequent At-Home Consumption Towards Occasional Patterns

The study identifies a gradual shift from frequent at-home consumption towards more occasional patterns and greater out-of-home consumption. This trend is particularly pronounced among younger consumers, who tend to have lower familiarity with fish preparation and stronger expectations regarding convenience. Demand is increasingly oriented towards portioned, prepacked, ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products.

Price and product appearance remain the main purchasing criteria, although origin, convenience and sustainability are gaining importance. At the same time, EU supply also shape consumption patterns. The EU market’s reliance on imports and retail strategies favoring stable, predictable supplies are contributing to a concentration of consumption around a limited number of species, such as salmon, tuna and shrimp.

The report also provides detailed analyses of Spain, France, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands and Austria, showing how cultural traditions, income, retail structures, product availability and price sensitivity influence consumption differently across national markets.

Special Cases

Spain, along with Portugal, leads in the consumption of these products, although from 2014 to 2024 the first one experienced a 32% decrease in average per capita household consumption. Thus, while in 2014 each household consumed 26.4 kg of fish and aquaculture products, in 2024 this figure fell to 17.9 kg per capita.

In countries like Italy and Poland, on the other hand, there has been a slight increase, although the most significant rise has been in Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Hungary, although it should be noted that these countries also started from lower per capita consumption levels.

Determining Factors

The report indicates that, in the case of Spain, the consumption of fish and aquaculture products has shifted from frequent to occasional. The determining factors are price (the most significant aspect), product appearance, and supply structure. Regarding the latter, the report notes that “the growing dependence on imports, the decline in domestic production, and retail strategies have contributed to changes in the products offered to consumers, ultimately influencing consumption patterns.”

Another key factor is convenience: consumers prefer to buy products that are easy to prepare, in portions, pre-packaged, ready to cook and ready to eat, which are increasingly in demand.

Regarding the type of product, consumers prefer those from wild-caught fish over those from aquaculture, although in Spain the consumption of farmed species such as salmon, sea bass, and gilthead seabream has increased. Specifically, gilthead seabream consumption grew by 5%, sea bass by 29%, and smoked salmon by 18%.

In contrast, the decline in consumption of hake, fresh sardines, anchovies, tuna and bonito from extractive fishing in Spain has been very pronounced, especially that of hake, which has decreased by 49% in the last decade.

Market Intelligence Tool

The European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture (EuMOFA) is a market intelligence tool on the European Union fisheries and aquaculture sector, developed by the European Commission. It aims to increase market transparency and efficiency, analyses EU markets dynamics, and supports business decisions and policy-making.

EuMOFA enables direct monitoring of volumes, values and prices of fisheries and aquaculture products, from the first sale to retail stage, including imports and exports. Data are collected from EU countries, Iceland, Norway, United Kingdom and from EU institutions and updated every day.