ASMI Report Indicates Increasing Interest in Seafood Consumption

A new domestic marketing report featuring food industry research by industry insights provider Technomic indicates increasing interest in seafood consumption by consumers dining out.

The report, released Aug. 30 by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, states that according to Technomic, Alaska is the most appealing source for seafood at foodservice and is widely preferred over any other seafood.

Technomic, with offices globally, has for the past five decades provided foodservice clients around the world with research and strategic consulting support used to enhance their business strategies and decisions.

The online 2024 study drew from 1,000 nationally representative consumers, all of whom were required to eat at foodservice facilities at least once a week and eat fish or shellfish at home or away twice a month.

Researchers found that 43% of Generation Z and Millennials prefer to limit or avoid meat consumption for reasons ranging from the opinion that meat is too expensive or unhealthy to meat being bad for the environment.

The appeal of ways to limit meat consumption, the report said, range from replacing meat with seafood and vegetables and whole grains to traditional plant-based proteins. According to the report, 38% of seafood consumers said replacing meat with seafood is the most appealing way to reduce meat consumption, with the next leading option, 18%, being replacement of meat with vegetables.

Gen X consumers are driven to seafood for health and taste, while Millennials and Gen Z are more concerned about sustainability and environmental impact, the report said.

Gen X includes people ages 44-59, born between 1965 and 1980. Millennials, ages 28 to 43, were born between 1981 and 1996. Gen Z individuals, ages 12 to 27, were born between 1997 and 2012.

Researchers found that Gen Z and Millennial consumers are much more likely to view seafood as affordable, and as a better value than other proteins, and also are interested in seafood for breakfast and lunch, as well as dinner.

The report also found that consumers want to know the origin of the seafood and if it’s wild-caught and sustainable. According to Technomic, 63% of diners said they would order more seafood if they knew where it was caught. They also ranked seafood above every protein source for being viewed as climate friendly.