Beyond the “Big 5”: diversifying seafood preferences in South West England

Purpose: Seafood consumption can support sustainable dietary transitions by reducing reliance on other animal proteins and boosting local food production. Despite UK health advice to “eat two portions of fish per week, including one oily fish”, UK seafood consumption remains low and focuses on mostly imported “Big 5” species (salmon, cod, haddock, tuna and prawns), overlooking many locally caught small oily species (e.g. mackerel, herring and pilchard). To improve food security and public health while reducing the environmental impact of seafood, it is necessary to identify effective ways to encourage local, sustainable seafood
consumption, diversifying the species eaten.

Design/methodology/approach: Through an online discrete choice experiment in South West England, preferences for fish species, origin, format, sustainability messaging and price were assessed. A split-sample design explored the role of the UK healthy diet guidance, presenting information “nudges” from the NHS or
respondent’s supermarket.

Findings: The results confirm strong, statistically significant preferences for salmon and cod, which were not influenced by health guidance. Seafood format preferences varied by species, especially for breaded products, suggesting opportunities to promote small oily fish consumption in more desirable formats.
Sustainability messages were favoured over none, though their impact on choices was marginal.

Originality/value: This study expands the existing literature by systematically exploring preferences and trade-offs across a diverse range of species, going beyond the “Big 5” to assess opportunities and barriers to shift consumption towards small oily fish. In doing so, we consolidate previously fragmented evidence on UK seafood preferences and offer policy-relevant insights for food and health strategies, and the processing and marketing of sustainable seafood.