Assessment of perceptions of marine aquaculture by the US food service industry

Objectives

In an effort to help marine aquaculture producers better understand existing and potential markets, we will investigate the factors that shape purchase-related decision-making within the seafood service sector as well as how seafood service sector members use their placement to influence subsequent seafood choice. In other words we aim to answer two broad questions:

1. What perceptions guide seafood purchasing by wholesalers/distributors and chefs? 
2. At each level of the food service sector (distributor, chef and restaurant staff), how are consumers influenced, guided or advised by these food service professionals with regard to seafood choice?

Methodology

We will employ a mixed-methods approach that involves three phases.

During Phase 1 we will conduct semi-structured interviews and participant observation in 12 cities across the United States. We will interview various members of the seafood service sector (distributors, chefs and servers) to answer the questions outlined in our objectives. We will use data from Phase 1 to generate a survey to be administered to a much larger sample size of seafood service sector members in 48 cities nationwide. Survey data will be analyzed to identify patterns and drivers in U.S. seafood purchasing within the food service sector as well as how knowledge transfer affects seafood sales. Results will be shared with end-user groups and made publicly available in Phase 3.

Rationale

To enable and accelerate U.S. marine aquaculture expansion, it is imperative for aquaculture producers to understand potential markets and how to tailor their practices to reach those markets. For both nascent and established producers, the ability to sell one’s product is a significant obstacle to individual and industry expansion.

As one example, within the U.S. shellfish aquaculture industry, new growers struggle to identify possible and practical markets while established growers fear market saturation. With marine aquaculture, producers have the additional concern about market acceptance of aquacultured products. In a recent survey of U.S. Aquaculture Society members, members listed "changing public perception of aquaculture" as the most important topic for society-supported webinars, and highly ranked "marketing aquaculture products" for potential workshops.

Research has demonstrated that consumers are potentially willing to pay higher prices for local, farmed and branded marine products, however little has been done to understand the role of distributors, chefs and restaurant staff in guiding consumer preferences and purchasing. We aim to address this gap through a nationwide effort to understand both the factors that influence purchasing within the seafood service sector as well as the role seafood service members play in guiding consumer choice.

This effort targets a priority identified within Sea Grant’s Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research Needs in Aquaculture; specifically it provides an assessment that identifies social and cultural perceptions of commercial aquaculture production and products in the United States and does so utilizing an approach that targets all marine aquaculture in an understudied, but crucial, decision-making and influential sector of the industry. Results from this research will benefit both:

1. Aquaculture producers, who can realize how to best cultivate their product and improve their marketing practices to reach different markets.
2. The seafood service sector, who in turn will have enhanced availability of desired aquaculture products and be better positioned to use accurate, science-based information to influence consumers’ buying decisions.