Nearly 90% Canadians eat seafood, fish regularly – despite high prices: poll
Most Canadians are regularly eating seafood despite high grocery prices, according to a new survey.
Fish and other seafood dishes are routinely included in their meals, 87 per cent of Canadians said in a recent poll conducted by the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and the Angus Reid Institute.
The results published Tuesday showed that even though daily consumption of seafood is rare in the country, Canadians are eating seafood on a weekly and monthly basis.
The online poll was conducted in June and included some 1,000 Canadian adults.
Stefanie Colombo, associate professor and Canada research chair at Dalhousie University, said she was “surprised” to find that such a large proportion of Canadians eat seafood on a regular basis.
The results are however consistent with the global trends, she said, with the increased consumption of animal protein, including fish.
In British Columbia, 45.8 per cent of respondents said they have fish and seafood every week, followed by 39 per cent in Atlantic provinces saying the same.
Quebec has the lowest weekly consumption of seafood (27.2 per cent), the survey found.
Four in 10 across the country are also willing to pay more for certified sustainable seafood, the survey found.
Canadians are primarily buying fish, like finfish, trout or salmon, as opposed to other forms of seafood – such as crab, mussels, oysters, shellfish or crustacean, Colombo told Global News.
More people also eat seafood at home (60 per cent) rather than in a restaurant (31 per cent), she added. Most people also prefer seafood that is Canadians rather than imported.
This comes as prices at the grocery store rose again last month, increasing 5.8 per cent year-over-year in September, according to
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