The mental availability of seafood: an Australian consumer study

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mental availability of seafood as a means of understanding differences in seafood consumption levels. This study presents the findings of an online survey of 899 Australian consumers which investigated drivers and barriers to fish consumption in Australia among regular, light and very light fish consumers. Measures of mental availability included knowledge and confidence in selecting, storing and preparing fish, consumption occasions, safety concerns, perceived physical availability, and perceived inconvenience of fish as a meal option. The findings reveal that regular fish consumers perceive greater mental availability of fish as compared to light and very light seafood consumers. Lighter seafood consumers expressed less knowledge and confidence with respect to selecting, storing and preparing fish, more typically serve fish for special occasions rather than on a more regular or everyday basis, perceive fish to be less physically available, and perceive fish as a less convenient meal option than do regular fish consumers. Increasing seafood consumption in Australia will rely on changing consumers’ perceptions, and in particular lighter seafood consumers, in ways that render seafood more mentally accessible to consumers as an everyday meal solution