A responsible proposal for Italian seafood consumers’

Abstract

Sustainable seafood consumption is a very intricate process, where different factors in diverse ways can influence the consumer’s behaviour. One of them is the knowledge on aspects related to seafood consumption and resource exploitation. Moreover, the sustainable criteria aren’t always clear and opportunely updated for consumers, both under the form of eco-labels and seafood guides. In this context, the aim of the paper was to easily provide buying suggestions based on scientific sustainable criteria, guiding consumers toward to responsible seafood consumption. Data collected during the framework of the study on consumers’ perception for eco-labeled Mediterranean anchovy, were adopted as case-study for the most common species sold in fish shop. Each species of the list of seafood preferred by consumers was synoptically related to 4 items, regarding the healthy status of the marine resource, the legal landing size, as well as biological aspects related to reproductive features. The table obtained was summarized and simplified for consumer use, realizing a friendly picture with figure/graphic, where possible. The implementation of the considered sustainable criteria provides useful suggestion orienting consumer toward to responsible seafood consumption, although a compromise among social, economic and environmental sustainability, consumer’s requests and his awareness needs to be improved. Keywords: Sustainable criteria, Seafood, consumers’ guide