Fish is a very valuable component of the everyday diet of Spaniards. Next to Japan, it is Spain that is noted for the largest consumption of fish in the world. Such a high level of fish consumption has been observed in the country for many years. Numerous promotion campaigns with childrens and adults from all over Spain contributed to this.
The most frequently eaten fish are hake and sardines, although Spaniards are more and more willing to choose sea bream or salmon whose sales rose in 2008 respectively by 26.9% and 4.9%. Also turbot with the monthly consumption of 1% marked a 35% increase.
According to the research carried out for the Spanish Ministry of the Environment, Agriculture and Marine Affairs, in 2008 fish are eaten by 70% of the society, with the highest sales between January and May and the average consumption of fish per capita was 1,2 kg.
Fresh fish is an important element of the diet for over half of the Spanish families with the average monthly consumption of 0.5kg per capita. Frozen fish, on the other hand, are bought by 40% of families with the average monthly consumption of 1kg per person. It should be added that frozen fish sale significantly increases in the winter season, between December and March.
In recent years the sale of fresh and frozen seafood has been gradually falling whereas the demand for canned fish and crustaceans has increased by, respectively 3.6% and 1.4%.
As the statistics show, October is the month in which the sale of fish significantly increases and the average price per kg is the lowest in the year. Social groups that consume the greatest amounts of fish are retirees, childless couples and single people, with the average of 27.9 kg a year which is over 12.3 kg more than the Spanish average. The smallest amounts of fish are consumed by families with children under 6 (8.3 kg per person a year) and young, independent people (11kg per person a year).
