An analysis of the household demand for fish and seafood in Great Britain

Although seafood is high in nutrients that provide a range of health benefits, most people in Great Britain only eat around half the amount of seafood recommended by health professionals. Therefore, this study aims to analyse consumers’ demand for fish and seafood in Great Britain. This is done using the Rotterdam demand model and data from a home-scanner dataset for Great Britain, which covers food and drink purchases for consumption at home for the period 2013-2021. Price and income elasticities were estimated for eleven fish and seafood groups across seven household groups: pre-family, young family, middle family, older family, older dependents, empty nests, and retired family. Our analysis reveals that families with children consistently allocate a lower share of their grocery spending to fish and seafood consumption compared to households without children, and they prefer ready-to-use and convenient fish products. Most household groups show a higher responsiveness to changes in prices for chilled fresh/smoked fish products compared to frozen fish items. However, across all household groups, the demand for most fish products is price-inelastic. To investigate the evolution of consumption, we decomposed the growth in consumption of fish and seafood into income, relative price, and change in taste and seasonality. Income and taste were identified as pivotal determinants of consumption changes across all groups, while price played a prominent role in certain fish groups.