No matter the age, gender or social status: the consumption of fish in the Pantanal comes from the river

Abstract

The consumption of fish meat in Brazil is low compared do beef, pork and poultry. To charactetrize the profile of fish consumption in the city of Cáceres-MT, we interviewed 269 people using a questionnaire through Google Forms® platform, to identify the main determinants for the population’s acquisition of fish meat. Based on the frequency of consunmption, we found that the respondents include fish in their diet in 1-3 meals/month. The main place of purchase was fish markets and the primary location of consumption was at home, with pacu being the preferred choice of the interviewed group. The majority of respondents cited price as the reason for not consuming or consuming less fish. Therefore, it was observed that fish is an important source of food with great potential for inclusion in the diet of the residents of Cáceres. Moreover, the majority of the fish consumed come from the river, showing the importance of the fisheries to the local population. This can serve to strengthen the need for certain strategies to improve fish consumption, such as those in Cáceres-MT, which defend initiatives related to the maintenance of fishing and the possibility of maintaining a centuries-old culture of food and fishing