“The report shows a clear gap between consumers’ intentions and their actual behaviour,” said researcher Florent Govaerts.
Photo: Anne-May Johansen, Nofima
A new study of young adults in Norway suggests that seafood is still struggling to compete with other everyday meal options, despite widespread awareness of its health benefits and sustainability credentials.
The study, undertaken for the Norwegian government by food research institute Nofima, draws on earlier research and a survey of 1,000 people in Norway aged 18 to 35, providing an overview of national initiatives to increase seafood consumption. The team of researchers investigated how information, trust, sustainability labelling and early experiences influence young consumers’ seafood choices.
But despite the government's best efforts to encourage consumption, "the effect is not impressive," Nofima reports.
“The report shows a clear gap between consumers’ intentions and their actual behaviour. Consumers want to eat more seafood and make more sustainable choices, but there are barriers that stop them from doing so,” said researcher Florent Govaerts.
“Young consumers believe seafood is too expensive, they do not think it tastes or smells good, and finding fish bones is a problem. They feel they lack the skills needed to prepare seafood, and habits, time pressure and competition from other products also stand in their way,” Govaerts explained.
The report also indicates sustainability tends to matter less in practice than consumers claim. While many younger shoppers say it is important for them, the realities of price, habits and flavour often matter more at the point of purchase, and ecolabels such as that of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) are often overlooked. "Consumers prioritise other considerations once they are standing in the shop,” Govaerts said.
However, Nofima suggests early experiences with seafood at home and at school can shape later eating habits, arguing that reversing the decline in seafood consumption among young adults will require measures that address both practical and emotional barriers.
For producers and retailers, the researchers suggest that focusing on affordability and convenience may win younger consumers over. The report states that 2025 retail campaigns involving discounts on salmon and trout were linked to sales increases of up to 249%, and suggests that more permanent low-price options may do more than short-term promotions to build regular habits. It also calls for more bone-free products with less off-putting smells.
At the same time, official advice from public authorities is still a viable route to encouraging consumption, with Nofima finding relatively high levels of trust in official institutions, researchers and health professionals among young consumers. The researchers suggest that official dietary advice and national sustainability assurances could therefore be used more actively in public communication.
Nofima also says any campaign aimed at younger audiences needs to use the channels they already turn to. While social media is less trusted than expert sources, it remains a major source of inspiration, and the report highlights influencer partnerships as another way of making seafood seem more like an everyday option.
Norwegian authorities have recently taken steps to encourage greater consumption, particularly among young people and families, with the Ministry of Fisheries urging the public to consume more seafood.
“We need to eat more fish. That is why I would like to challenge all children, parents and grandparents to eat at least one fish dish next week,” Minister of Fisheries Marianne Sivertsen Næss said on 6 March as part of Norway's national Fish Day. “We adults must cook fish and seafood at home and bring our children into the kitchen. Good eating habits are formed in childhood. Experience shows that children actually like seafood – especially when they get to help cook it themselves,” she argued.
In support of this, the Norwegian government has allocated NOK 3.5 million (€300,000) in the 2026 state budget for its "Fiskesprell" programme, which provides training on seafood for staff in kindergartens and schools, and offers financial support for purchasing ingredients so that children can cook and taste seafood.
The Ministry has also recently launched a new international working group aiming to increase seafood consumption, as part of a broader push in support of more sustainable food systems.
According to Norwegian authorities, seafood consumption in Norway has declined by around 18% since 2014, a trend Sivertsen Næss described as "worrying".
The full Norwegian language report, Young consumers and seafood consumption: Experience, trust and information – new insights about young consumers and seafood, can be accessed via the Nofima website.
