At present, Norway, Spain and Portugal lead in fish consumption.
With a strong correlation between wealth and life expectancy, it is likely an increase in fish consumption will come from countries like China which has an increasing middle class population.
India is also set to soon beat China in becoming the most populous country and so will have more mouths to feed.
In many western countries, like the UK, where obesity is a problem, fish is likely to be a good answer as it can help to address the problem.
Shopping Habits
Many people have said that as bills rise they spend less money on food. They also tend to be more drawn to offers and sales when choosing what to buy, said Mr Banks.
Discount shops like Aldi and Lidl are also gaining ground as shoppers choose to buy cheaper copies over expensive brand names.
With these things in mind, Mr Banks identified four key trends as to what consumers want:
- Convinient/practical
- Health/well-being
- Good taste and range
- Ethical
The way we package fish is also important, said Mr Banks.
Packaging needs to be of a good quality, meet safety requirements and be able to send the right information to the consumer in a clear and concise way.
Choice editing is also important when creating packaging as many shoppers say they are confused. It is therefore important that we simplify information to make it easier for the shopper, continued Mr Banks.
Generating trust between the shopper and the supermarket is also important, Mr Banks concluded.
