“Fresh foods carry the health halo with them, versus processed foods. It doesn’t matter what country you go to: fresh foods will always have those attributes,” Steve Lutz, Nielsen Perishables Group executive VP of told SeafoodSource.
In the Asia-Pacific region, fresh foods make up 60 percent of shoppers’ grocery shopping budgets and in Europe, fresh foods account for 53 percent of shoppers’ budgets, according to the Nielsen Global Survey of Fresh Foods report. In the U.S. and Latin America, fresh foods account for much less of shoppers’ baskets: 30 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
“In the U.S., consumers shop less frequently [than in Asia and Europe]. Because they are willing to drive further and make fewer shopping trips, those things work against fresh,” Lutz said. At the same time, fresh seafood sales are on the rise in the U.S. While beef, poultry, and pork volume all fell in 2012, fresh seafood volume rose 2.5 percent, according to Nielsen.
According to the study, when buying fresh seafood, North American shoppers look for a good value first, followed by fresh selection and convenience.
Even though overall fresh seafood prices remained fairly stable in the past year, North American shoppers perceived that seafood was a better value, particularly compared to the rising costs of beef and poultry, according to Lutz.
“It is really about the value they [shoppers] placed on a specific product. For example, lobster is still a very expensive seafood product, but sales were driven down because of supply this year. Even if lobster is USD 10 a pound, that is perceived as a value, compared to its regular price,” Lutz said.
While North American shoppers are seeking value, shoppers in the Middle East/ Africa region and in Latin America said fresh selection is most important to them, according to the survey. Europeans say that a good value is the most important attribute when buying fresh seafood, followed by fresh selection and convenience.
Even though fresh seafood sales rose in the U.S. last year, fresh seafood accounts for only five percent of stores’ total sales, according to Nielsen. Lutz believes that fresh seafood purchases lag behind other proteins because shoppers require much more customer service than other protein categories.
“Self-serve just does not touch the consumer…in the same way that beef and chicken does because consumers know the cuts and the selection in those departments. The input from the behind-the-counter person in a supermarket or the person running the fish shop is not only important for capturing sales, but for building consumer confidence and repeat purchases,” Lutz said.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Khanh Hoa Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, in collaboration with the Northern Center for Marine Aquaculture Research and the Van Hung Public Service Center, recently organized a training course on disease-free golden pompano seed production. The program is part of a National Agricultural Extension Project aimed at developing industrial-scale seed production models to support sustainable marine aquaculture.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s pangasius exports have shown encouraging signs of recovery in 2026. In the first four months of the year, total export turnover reached USD 720 million, up 17% compared to the same period last year. This result reflects improving demand across many markets, as well as the efforts of Vietnamese pangasius enterprises to maintain production, secure orders, and adapt to changing market conditions.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The application of high technology in shrimp farming is delivering positive results in the coastal areas of Vinh Long Province, contributing to improved production efficiency and creating significant potential for further industry expansion. However, to fully capitalize on this potential, the province is focusing on aquaculture zoning, infrastructure investment, and promoting modern, sustainable production.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Đồng Tháp Province has intensified efforts to curb illegal fishing by strengthening vessel monitoring, law enforcement and seafood traceability.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood businesses need solutions to overcome bottlenecks such as labor shortages, difficulty accessing capital, high input costs, and administrative procedures in order to maintain production, adapt to market fluctuations, and effectively exploit export opportunities.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The FTA would widen access to markets with strong demand for premium food products in line with the country’s strategy of shifting exports towards increasing added value.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On the morning of July 13th, Mr. Ho Quoc Dung, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Deputy Prime Minister, along with his delegation, visited and worked with businesses in An Giang province to promptly resolve obstacles and promote production and business activities.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) As importing markets increasingly focus on biosecurity and traceability, Vietnam has established a relatively comprehensive legal framework and disease management system for aquaculture, covering tilapia farming as well as other cultured species. This system is based on the Law on Animal Health, regulations on the prevention and control of aquatic animal diseases, the National Plan for the Prevention and Control of Major Diseases in Farmed Aquatic Species, and environmental monitoring and early warning programs for aquaculture areas.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On July 9, 2026, the Embassy of Vietnam in Brazil organized the seminar titled “Sharing Information on Vietnam-Brazil Economic, Trade and Investment Relations in the First Half of 2026” to provide updates on bilateral cooperation and strengthen connections among government agencies, industry associations, and business communities of the two countries.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports in the first 6 months of the year continued to be a bright spot with a total turnover of 5.7 billion USD, an increase of 11.4% compared to the same period last year. By commodity group, seafood is one of the three groups with a trade balance in the first 6 months of 2026 in a surplus state with 4.13 billion USD, an increase of 17%.
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