Acronym NA
Category
Seafood Processing
Title Britiske forbrukeres oppfatning av fersk og tint filet fra torsk - British consumers' perception of fresh and thawed cod fillets Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator Finn-Arne Egeness Coordinator email finn-arne.egeness@nofima.no
Coordinator institution
NOFIMA - Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research (Norway)
Institutions involved
NA - Kulde AS (Norway) ,
NA - SINTEF Energy Research (Norway) ,
Start year 2010 End year 2011 Funding (€) € 124,830 Website https://www.fhf.no/prosjekter/prosjektbasen/900444/ Summary Traditionally, two categories of whitefish fillet products have been dominant in the UK market, fresh and frozen fillets. Fresh produce is distributed through manual fish counters or board-packed, self-service products. Frozen products can be found in the freezer counter. An alternative to ""genuinely"" fresh fillets is ""apparently"" fresh fillets, ie thawed fillets produced from fresh raw material or frozen round fish. According to informants in the Norwegian fillet industry and the United Kingdom, the prevalence of ""apparently"" fresh fillet products is significant. Since they are offered in the same form as genuinely fresh products, there can be little doubt that the products compete. What is more uncertain, however, is the prevalence and market position. It is also uncertain to what extent British consumers have preferences for one or the other of the product variants. Likewise, it is uncertain how the message that the product is thawed is conveyed and perceived. Here, the legislation will provide guidelines, but it is also assumed that different sales channels emphasize the information elements differently.
The situation today is thus that British consumers can choose between three types of fillet products from whitefish; fresh, frozen and thawed. Within these categories, it is possible to offer products with different properties in terms of durability, food quality and price. It is already known that consumers, including in Norway, may have (very) different perceptions of fresh and frozen whitefish products. A recent study from Seafish (2010) shows that British consumers perceive fresh fish as easier and faster to cook, more natural, has better quality and freshness and is more nutritious than frozen fish. Frozen fish is perceived as cheaper, it has better packaging and labeling, it has a better pack size and is more convenient than fresh fish. At the same time, frozen fish is perceived to have ""greater value"", more value for money. These results are very interesting in light of the increasing availability of thawed fillet products. How do the ""apparently fresh"" products position themselves in relation to ""genuinely fresh"" and frozen products? As far as Nofima has investigated, there are few or no studies that have addressed this.
One factor that helps to shape consumers' perceptions is the information that accompanies the product. In terms of categories, both product types are referred to as ""chilled"", when sold from a refrigerated counter. There is little information on how they are specifically labeled in the refrigerator. A possible result of the introduction of the thawed products is that the supermarket chain Marks & Spencer for a period chose to label their genuinely fresh products with ""fresh never frozen"". Today, it is unclear how the various sales channels profile such products, but it is assumed that the terminology lays down guidelines for the consumer's perception of quality. A product marked with ""refreshed"" can be perceived in terms of quality as different from ""defrosted"", ""thawed"" or ""previously frozen"".
For experts, it is usually a narrow matter to prove that the cod fillet has been frozen or not. A thawed product is usually drier and will tend to appear more fibrous when eaten. It is uncertain to what extent British consumers are able to distinguish between ""genuinely fresh"" and ""apparently fresh"" products. And if they perceive that there are differences, is this something that is emphasized in that case? For example, is there a different willingness to pay?
For the Norwegian fishing industry that currently produces fillets, it is important to gain knowledge about how thawed fillets are perceived by the market. Greater consumer acceptance and thus sales of this category may influence future strategic decisions for the Norwegian fillet industry.
Goals:
To provide more knowledge about British consumers' preferences for, perception of and knowledge of fresh and thawed fillet products in general and of cod in particular. This knowledge is important for understanding the position of thawed products in the market and what impact this may have on future sales of fresh / frozen products from Norway. The knowledge from the British market will also have transfer value to other European markets.
Keywords
Fish quality;
Cod;
Market;
Fish;
Fishing industry;
Fish products;
Marine Region
6
Central North Sea (27.IVb)
5
Southern North Sea (27.IVc)
13
Northern North Sea (27.IVa)
3
Marine Region Map
