Shoppers are increasingly buying lesser-known fish on their visits to the supermarket, new research has shown.
Commissioned by Sainsbury’s and produced by the Future Foundation, the study revealed people are beginning to think of other options outside the big five fish species – tuna, cod, haddock, salmon and prawns.
According to the findings, the last year has seen a 57 per cent increase in sea bass sales, while fresh pollack has enjoyed a 15 per cent escalation, trout purchases have upped by 29 per cent and tilapia saw a 117 per cent rise.
Ally Dingwall, aquaculture and fisheries manager at Sainsburys, noted: “It is great to see more people broadening their minds and appetites by buying and cooking currently less familiar seafood.”
Mr Dingwall added such a consumer trend will also help to ensure supermarkets have sustainable supplies of the foodstuff – which he described as a “healthy, low-fat protein” – for a long time to come.
The study showed one of the main reasons shoppers are consuming different types of fish is a greater concern for their personal wellbeing, with 51 per cent claiming health reasons have encouraged them to alter their diet .
