Aquaculture sustainability certification: a market analysis with consumers

Abstract

The present work aimed to carry out a research on the sustainability certification market for aquaculture, aiming to assess the acceptance of end consumers in the fish production chain and provide subsidies for the development of production systems that do not negatively impact the environment. and society, as well as bringing economic benefits to small producers. To reach the objective, a bibliographic research was carried out followed by a qualitative-quantitative study. Data collection for market research was carried out online with Google Forms, through a semi-structured questionnaire that addressed issues related to the proposed objective. 124 people were interviewed and the results showed that 23% of them do not reflect on the issue of pollution generated in food production, demonstrating the need to raise awareness of society. In addition, 52% of respondents are not informed about the origin of what they consume, however, when asked about the availability of certified products for sale, 93% said they would like certified products to be available in supermarkets and 60% would pay more, showing that there is a specific market. The research showed that there is a lack of knowledge among consumers in relation to aquaculture and certification issues, and that there is a small consumption of aquatic organisms, but on the other hand, there is also a great interest of the interviewees in consuming products with quality and sustainability certification.