Examining barriers to seafood consumption among young adults in Norway and Russia

Abstract

Although the majority of people consider fish and seafood an important part of a healthy and balanced diet, the consumption of this food category in Norway and Russia is still below the recommended level, especially in younger age groups. This thesis discusses results of an online survey of young fish consumers in Norway and Russia, which focused on existing barriers to consumption of fish and seafood. Differences in perceived barriers in Norway and Russia could be to a large extent explained by differences in fish and seafood availability and quality of available products between the countries. Among Norwegian consumers, such barriers as a lack of satiety after consuming seafood, unpleasant smell and high price of fresh products explain variance in seafood consumption frequency. For Russian consumers, the main barriers are a difficulty to evaluate product quality, not liking the taste of fish in childhood, unpleasant sensory feelings and unsatisfactory variety of available fish products.