The June survey, which polled more than 1,000 U.S. residents, found that 72% of American consumers believe seafood is important to their health and nutrition. Eighty-eight percent of those same consumers are willing to pay more for seafood that is certified as sustainably and responsibly sourced. This especially appeals to the younger generation, with 93% of millennials agreeing they are willing to pay more.
"The majority of American consumers believe seafood is important to their health and nutrition, but they also want to have peace of mind as to where it came from – and that's where we can play an integral role," said Einar Wathne, president, Cargill Aqua Nutrition. "We are committed to delivering healthy seafood for future generations, and we know we must do this in a way that is responsible and meets consumer preferences."
Results from the survey were released at The Aquaculture Roundtable Series Aug. 16-17 in Bali, Indonesia, where Wathne was a keynote speaker. The survey also found:
- Out of the five seafood options given, 47% of Americans prefer shrimp.
- Eighty-four percent of Americans trust that their seafood is sourced in a safe and responsible way.
- Seventy percent of Americans say where and how their seafood is sourced impacts their purchase decision.
Cargill Aqua Nutrition said it produces feed for salmon, tilapia and shrimp in 18 countries and is dedicated to tailoring feed solutions to customers' needs. It has 38 specialized aquaculture feed facilities and three dedicated innovation centers for aquaculture, which together produced 1.74 million tonnes of aquafeed in 2016. Cargill Aqua Nutrition provides 2.7 billion seafood meals from its salmon feed alone.
To meet customer demand for the highest standard feed, Cargill Aqua Nutrition supplies feed that meets the requirements of a number of industry certifications. Cargill facilities in Canada and Chile hold both Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) and GLOBAL Good Aquaculture Practice (GAP) certifications. Cargill plants in Scotland and Norway are Global GAP-certified, while factories in Honduras and Nicaragua are BAP-certified. Cargill Aqua Nutrition also supplies feed that meets the requirements of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), an organization focused on environmental and social responsibility in the farmed seafood supply chain. Cargill continues to work with ASC to develop feed standards for the future.
"It is important that the seafood industry earns consumer trust," said Avrim Lazar, convener of the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI). "That's why we work very hard to meet third party, rigorous certification standards. Consumers deserve independent assurance that the seafood they eat is sustainable and responsibly sourced."
