Fish consumption in Brazil: State of the art and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT

The offer and consumption of fish and other aquatic organisms in Brazil comprise a great complexity of interacting factors, from the origin and production of these goods, to their processing and marketing. Unexpected factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic might contribute for increasing the complexity of such interactions and shift consumption patterns. This study aimed at characterizing the consumption of fish in the Brazilian territory, identifying factors that influence such consumption and investigating how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the country's consumption pattern. A closed and semi-structured questionnaire was applied and gathered responses from 1763 Brazilian participants from all the country's macro-regions, regarding fish consumption and factors affecting it. Data were presented descriptively and analyzed by means of a multivariate approach. Three patterns of fish meat consumption were identified in the study. Northern participants consume this foodstuff in recommended amounts by dietary guidelines in higher proportions than other regions. In general, during the pandemic most respondents did not change their fish consumption (59.7%) and declared that no risks were associated with consuming this foodstuff (65.6%). It was found that the origin of fish is a major driver of consumption, whereas from 49.2% (Southeast and Midwest) to 58.2% (North) of the population would increase their consumption in case the origin of the foodstuff was declared. Fish consumption in Brazil is influenced by multiple factors and it can be stimulated by exploring differences existing among the territory's macro-regions.