Analysis of consumer perspectives on fish and seafood : report on a series of focus groups conducted by the National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council / conducted by the National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council

44 Pages·1991·1.8 MB·English

by  National Fish & Seafood Promotional Council (U.S.)

^/s
F
C
sS-.i:
Analysis of
Consumer on
Perspectives
Fish and Seafood
Prepared for the
National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council
m
Washington, D.C.
^$YiVAN
,A
October, 1991 Uni^ty
QLLEC
}rVCopy
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
U.S.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council

Analysis of
Consumer on
Perspectives
Fish and Seafood
REPORT ON A SERIES OF FOCUS GROUPS CONDUCTED BY
The National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council
Roseleen L. Moore, Chairman
Thomas P. Jones, Executive Director
NW
1825 Connecticut Avenue,
Washington, D.C.
202/ 606-4237 (VOICE)
202/ 606-4225 (FAX)
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2012 with funding from
LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation
http://archive.org/details/analysisofconsumOOnati
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
1
METHOD
3
CAVEAT 4
HIGHLIGHTS AND CONCLUSIONS
5
DETAILED FINDINGS
8
CURRENT PATTERNS OF CONSUMPTION
I. 8
A. DEFINITION OF FISH VS. SEAFOOD 8
B. FREQUENCY OF FISH CONSUMPTION 9
C. WHERE FISH AND SEAFOOD ARE EATEN 11
D. SPECIES 12
E. HOW FISH AND SEAFOOD ARE PREPARED 12
II. ATTITUDES TOWARD FISH AND SEAFOOD 14
OVERVIEW
A. 14
B. REASONS FOR EATING FISH AND SEAFOOD 14
BARRIERS TO INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF
C.
FISH/SEAFOOD 22
III. OTHER SPECIFIC MARKETING ISSUES 28
A. FARM RAISED FISH 28
BRANDED
B. FISH 29
C. FLASH FROZEN FISH 30
D. MOLLUSCAN SHELLFISH WARNING SIGNS 31

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to update 1988 research conducted by the National Fish and
Seafood Promotional Council into the role of fish and seafood in consumers' diets. The
study was designed to provide the Council with current information regarding consumption
of fish and seafood products and the underlying attitudes associated with increased or
decreased usage. More specifically, the research was designed to address the following
issues:
1. What is the current role of fish and seafood in consumers' diets?
How often are fish and seafood products eaten? What species are currently
most popular? How are they prepared?
Where are fish and seafood eaten? To what extent are fish and seafood
generally prepared at home and eaten out? How does this pattern compare
with meat, poultry and other types of food?
2. How has fish and seafood consumption been changing?
To what extent has the consumption of fish and seafood both at home and in
restaurants been increasing or decreasing?
In what ways, if any, have consumer preferences for different species of fish
and seafood products been changing?
3. What attitudinal and other factors are driving consumption of fish and seafood?
Why do consumers eat fish and seafood? How do heavy users' reasons differ
from those who eat fish and seafood less often?
To what extent is (increased) consumption driven by growing awareness and
prominence of the category, increased availability, health concerns and taste?
What other factors are associated with (increased) consumption of fish and
seafood?
4. What are the principal barriers to greater consumption of fish and seafood?
To what extent is consumption being limited by cost, concerns about pollution
and safety, backlash against pervasive dietary health messages, taste and
perceived difficulty of preparation? What other factors are serving to limit
consumption?
How are proposed warnings about the safety of raw oysters, clams and
mussels likely to affect consumption of these products?
METHOD
The study is based on a total of eight focus groups with male and female consumers
representing the key target market for fish and seafood products:
25-55 years old.
Have eaten fish or seafood in the past month. In order to represent a broad
spectrum of seafood consumers, no more than two participants in each group
had eaten only shrimp, canned tuna or frozen fish sticks. In most groups, all
of the participants had eaten other fish and seafood products.
Not on a medically supervised cholesterol reduction diet.
Do all or most of the food shopping for their families.
No household members associated with a fish/seafood restaurant, retail outlet
or trade association, a marketing research company or advertising agency or
who is a journalist.
No focus group participation in the past year and never in a group about fish
and seafood products.
Four of the groups were conducted with "heavy users," defined as people who eat fish or
seafood at least four times a month. The other four groups were comprised of "medium
users," defined as eating fish/seafood an average of 1-3 times per month.
One group with heavy users and one group with medium users was conducted in each of
four geographically dispersed markets, as follows:
MARKET DATE
Tampa September 10
St. Louis September 11
Los Angeles September 12
New Jersey September 16
Each group lasted approximately \Vi-2 hours and covered:
Definitions of the terms "fish" and "seafood"
Patterns of fish/seafood consumption
Reasons for eating fish/seafood
Barriers to increased consumption
Changes in fish and seafood consumption over the past few years and reasons
for these changes
Concerns about pollution and the impact of these concerns on consumption
Reactions to proposed warnings about raw molluscan shellfish
CAVEAT
This research was designed to be exploratory and qualitative in scope. The objective was
to encourage consumer exploration of usage of and attitudes toward fish and seafood (in
their own words). In order to accomplish this objective, open-ended and semi-structured
interviewing techniqueswere used amongsmall samples ofconveniently recruited consumers
in just four markets. The findings are therefore best viewed as suggestive and are not
necessarily representative of or projectable to the universe of fish and seafood consumers
as a whole.