Impact de la COVID-19 sur la consommation à domicile des produits de la pêche et de l’aquaculture en France

The COVID-19 has led to the closure of commercial catering, restrictions on imports and fishing. Besides a restrictive and anxiety-provoking context, consumption habits have likely been challenged. Fresh fishery and aquaculture products (FAP) are largely consumed at home and are very sensitive to logistical constraints (short shelf life). Quantitative data on household home purchases in metropolitan France from 2017 to 2021 were used. It seems consumption of fresh FAPs has not truly adapted to the national fish production in disregard of import restrictions and available surpluses. While the consumption of fresh shellfish at home did not change significantly in 2020, salmon and cod are still substantially preferred by French consumers at home, although their French production is almost non-existent. On the contrary, locally produced fish species remain little consumed at home. The abundant supply of fresh salmon initially destined for other markets has consolidated the dominant position of this species in the French home consumption market. Initiated by supermarkets and hypermarkets and followed by consumers, the trend to purchase pre-packaged fresh fish has been largely amplified by the pandemic and seems to persist over time.