C sS-.i: F ^/s Analysis of Consumer Perspectives on Fish and Seafood Prepared for the National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council Washington, D.C. m ^$Yi VAN , A October, 1991 Uni ^ty QLLEC }r V Copy U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council Analysis of Consumer Perspectives on Fish and Seafood REPORT ON A SERIES OF FOCUS GROUPS CONDUCTED BY The National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council Roseleen L. Moore, Chairman Thomas P. Jones, Executive Director 1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 202/ 606-4237 (VOICE) 202/ 606-4225 (FAX) Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation http://archive.org/details/analysisofconsumOOnati TABLE OF CONTENTS Page BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES 1 METHOD 3 CAVEAT 4 HIGHLIGHTS AND CONCLUSIONS 5 DETAILED FINDINGS 8 I. CURRENT PATTERNS OF CONSUMPTION 8 A. DEFINITION OF FISH VS. SEAFOOD 8 B. FREQUENCY OF FISH CONSUMPTION 9 C. WHERE FISH AND SEAFOOD ARE EATEN 11 D. SPECIES 12 E. HOW FISH AND SEAFOOD ARE PREPARED 12 II. ATTITUDES TOWARD FISH AND SEAFOOD 14 A. OVERVIEW 14 B. REASONS FOR EATING FISH AND SEAFOOD 14 C. BARRIERS TO INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF FISH/SEAFOOD 22 III. OTHER SPECIFIC MARKETING ISSUES 28 A. FARM RAISED FISH 28 B. BRANDED FISH 29 C. FLASH FROZEN FISH 30 D. MOLLUSCAN SHELLFISH WARNING SIGNS 31 BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to update 1988 research conducted by the National Fish and Seafood Promotional Council into the role of fish and seafood in consumers' diets. The study was designed to provide the Council with current information regarding consumption of fish and seafood products and the underlying attitudes associated with increased or decreased usage. More specifically, the research was designed to address the following issues: 1. What is the current role of fish and seafood in consumers' diets? ■ How often are fish and seafood products eaten? What species are currently most popular? How are they prepared? ■ Where are fish and seafood eaten? To what extent are fish and seafood generally prepared at home and eaten out? How does this pattern compare with meat, poultry and other types of food? 2. How has fish and seafood consumption been changing? ■ To what extent has the consumption of fish and seafood both at home and in restaurants been increasing or decreasing? ■ In what ways, if any, have consumer preferences for different species of fish and seafood products been changing? 3. What attitudinal and other factors are driving consumption of fish and seafood? ■ Why do consumers eat fish and seafood? How do heavy users' reasons differ from those who eat fish and seafood less often? ■ To what extent is (increased) consumption driven by growing awareness and prominence of the category, increased availability, health concerns and taste? What other factors are associated with (increased) consumption of fish and seafood? 4. What are the principal barriers to greater consumption of fish and seafood? ■ To what extent is consumption being limited by cost, concerns about pollution and safety, backlash against pervasive dietary health messages, taste and perceived difficulty of preparation? What other factors are serving to limit consumption? ■ How are proposed warnings about the safety of raw oysters, clams and mussels likely to affect consumption of these products? METHOD The study is based on a total of eight focus groups with male and female consumers representing the key target market for fish and seafood products: ■ 25-55 years old. ■ Have eaten fish or seafood in the past month. In order to represent a broad spectrum of seafood consumers, no more than two participants in each group had eaten only shrimp, canned tuna or frozen fish sticks. In most groups, all of the participants had eaten other fish and seafood products. ■ Not on a medically supervised cholesterol reduction diet. ■ Do all or most of the food shopping for their families. ■ No household members associated with a fish/seafood restaurant, retail outlet or trade association, a marketing research company or advertising agency or who is a journalist. ■ No focus group participation in the past year and never in a group about fish and seafood products. Four of the groups were conducted with "heavy users," defined as people who eat fish or seafood at least four times a month. The other four groups were comprised of "medium users," defined as eating fish/seafood an average of 1-3 times per month. One group with heavy users and one group with medium users was conducted in each of four geographically dispersed markets, as follows: MARKET DATE Tampa St. Louis Los Angeles New Jersey Each group lasted approximately \Vi-2 hours and covered: September 10 September 11 September 12 September 16 Definitions of the terms "fish" and "seafood" Patterns of fish/seafood consumption Reasons for eating fish/seafood Barriers to increased consumption Changes in fish and seafood consumption over the past few years and reasons for these changes Concerns about pollution and the impact of these concerns on consumption Reactions to proposed warnings about raw molluscan shellfish CAVEAT This research was designed to be exploratory and qualitative in scope. The objective was to encourage consumer exploration of usage of and attitudes toward fish and seafood (in their own words). In order to accomplish this objective, open-ended and semi-structured interviewing techniques were used among small samples of conveniently recruited consumers in just four markets. The findings are therefore best viewed as suggestive and are not necessarily representative of or projectable to the universe of fish and seafood consumers as a whole. HIGHLIGHTS AND CONCLUSIONS OVERVIEW OF THE MARKET Overall consumption of fish and seafood appears to be growing, with most of the growth coming from more frequent consumption by those who have previously eaten fish or seafood only occasionally, rather than further gains among people already eating it more than once a week. Many "medium users" (defined as people eating fish or seafood 1-3 times per month) stated that they are now eating more fish and seafood than they did a few years ago. Most "heavy users" (4+ times per month), in contrast, maintained that fish and seafood have always been an important part of their diet and that the amount they eat has not changed. It is clear that the increased consumption of fish and seafood stems largely from the broader trend toward healthier lifestyles and diets. Many of those who are now eating more fish and seafood than they did previously, cited as the primary reason their desire for a more healthful diet. This growing concern with health is also reflected in changes in methods of preparation. Frying appears to be declining sharply in popularity, while baking, broiling and grilling are becoming the preferred methods of preparation. As consumer demand has grown, fish and seafood have become more prominent and accessible, which has enabled further increases in overall consumption. As supermarkets have added fresh fish counters with an ever expanding array of species, and as restaurants have added more seafood to their menus, seafood has become much more visible and it has become increasingly easy for consumers to choose it. The dynamic of this self-reinforcing process (in which increased demand leads to greater visibility and availability, which in turn further stimulates demand) suggests that, in the absence of a major pollution scare, cost increase or other event which might lead consumers to turn away from fish and seafood, consumption is likely to continue to grow. REASONS FOR EATING FISH AND SEAFOOD Fish and seafood are associated with both dietary and emotional benefits which largely appear to drive consumption. The key dietary benefits are: ■ Taste : While many consumers are initially attracted to fish and seafood by their health benefits, they continue eating it because they like it. Taste and texture are clearly the key benefits driving consumption, particularly among the heaviest users. Variety: Fish and seafood provide a change of pace from other foods and the large number of species and recipes available provides more taste and texture variety than meat or poultry. ■ !' Health : Fish and most seafood are viewed almost universally as a healthier alternative to meat and chicken and their consumption is seen as insurance against a loss of vigor and mobility. Health appears to be more important to medium users, many of whom began to eat significant amounts of seafood as part of a diet plan, than it is to heavy users. For both segments, however, health is clearly secondary to taste as a reason for choosing fish and seafood. ■ Lightness : Fish and seafood are lighter and less filling than meat. This lightness is particularly important in situations when consumers are not very hungry or want to remain active and alert after eating. ■ Weight Control : Fish and seafood are thought to be lower in calories and less fattening than meat. Eating it contributes to some consumers' efforts to look and feel better in their clothes. ■ Convenience : Those people who are comfortable preparing fish consider it an easy- to-prepare, fast-cooking convenience food. The principal emotional benefits provided by fish and seafood are: ■ Treat : For many people, fish and seafood are a treat, something special. This is particularly true of lobster, the cost of which tends to define it as a special occasion food and, in general, for restaurant recipes that consumers do not feel capable of duplicating at home. ■ Pride : Some consumers appear to feel good about themselves, even "virtuous," for making a smart, healthy choice. ■ Social Acceptability : The growing stigma surrounding red meat has made at least some consumers self-conscious about what they eat in restaurants. From this perspective, fish and seafood are viewed as more socially acceptable choices. ■ Role Fulfillment : Some women (and probably some men as well, although there were none among the participants in this study) view serving fish to their children as part of being a good mother by helping to instill healthy dietary habits. BARRIERS TO CONSUMPTION The major barriers to increased consumption of fish and seafood appear to be: ■ Preparation : The perceived difficulty of properly cooking fish and seafood and the related fear of failure is the most significant factor limiting consumption of fish and seafood at home. Ability to cook at home is also the principal behavioral difference between medium and heavy users. ■ Family member rejection : In households where either children or other adults dislike fish, the need to accommodate all family members with the same food limits the frequency with which fish is served. ■ Cost : While fish is generally seen as a good value, the cost of some favorite species such as salmon, swordfish, shrimp and lobster limits their consumption. ■ Not Filling : The flip side of being light, fish and seafood are sometimes avoided when consumers are very hungry. ■ Inconvenience : The perceived need to make a special trip to buy very fresh fish keeps some consumers from serving fish as often as they would if it were more convenient. ■ Pollution : Reports of fish contaminated by pollution appear to be having only a minimal impact on overall consumption. At most, these reports seem to lead some consumers to avoid fish from a particular location, and not the entire category. OTHER SPECIFIC MARKETING ISSUES ■ Farm Raised Fish : Attitudes toward farm raised fish are generally positive. The consensus is that these fish are likely to be more wholesome because the grower would have greater control over water quality. The only potential liability associated with farmed fish is the generalized feeling among a small number of consumers that it is not "natural," or might contain chemicals or antibiotics. ■ Branded Fish : Attitudes toward this concept, too, are largely favorable on the grounds that the quality would be high because a company would stand behind its product. On the downside, a small number of consumers expressed concerns that branded fish would require more handling before they reached the market and that the concept sounds "artificial." ■ Flash Frozen Fish : Reactions to this concept are mixed. On the positive side, flash freezing is seen as a way of preventing deterioration and keeping fish fresher before they reach market. On the other hand, most consumers believe that fresh (never frozen) fish is always better than frozen. ■ Shellfish Warnings : If posted, these notices are likely to have some impact on consumption of raw (and to a lesser extent, cooked) shellfish, although the impact does not seem likely to be dramatic. While some consumers would avoid raw shellfish in response to the warnings, a significant number of others claimed they would continue eating them, either because they don't feel they are at risk or because they trust stores and restaurants not to sell contaminated products. DETAILED FINDINGS I. CURRENT PATTERNS OF CONSUMPTION A. DEFINITION OF FISH VS. SEAFOOD As used by consumers, seafood is a more inclusive term than fish. Seafood includes not only fish, but crustaceans and mollusks as well, which are considered "seafood" but not "fish." Thus to consumers, while all (or most~a small number would exclude fresh water species) fish is seafood, not all seafood is fish. "A shellfish is not fish. In my mind shellfish, that is, shrimp, crab, lobster, those are not fish, they are seafood." (Medium User/St. Louis) "Seafood is much broader. I consider shellfish and everything as seafood, where fish I think of more as fish with scales, not mollusks." (Heavy User/St. Louis) "Fish is fish and it swims with fins and scales, and seafood are things that crawl and locomote by other means." (Heavy User/New Jersey) Fish and seafood also have somewhat different connotations. Seafood is thought to be more elegant and sophisticated than relatively bland and mundane fish. From this perspective, "seafood" is eaten on special occasions, while "fish" is more of an everyday meal. "It sounds more appealing, seafood. It sounds classy, just more elegant. Something I order in a restaurant, seafood." (Heavy User/Los Angeles) "Fish I usually think of as just a plain piece of fish and somehow seafood I always think of it being more. ..not exotic, but maybe like lobster, shrimp or maybe a flounder that's stuffed with crab meat or something to that effect." (Medium User/New Jersey) "I've never gone out to eat fish, I've gone out to eat seafood." (Medium User/New Jersey) B. FREQUENCY OF FISH CONSUMPTION 1. Overall Frequency "Heavy users" were defined as people who eat fish and seafood, on the average, at least four times a month. Most of the heavy users interviewed in this study ate fish and seafood considerably more often: generally at least twice a week. "Moderate" consumption was defined as eating fish/seafood one to three times per month, with most of the "moderate users" in this study eating it about once a week or less. 2. Changes in Frequency of Consumption Overall consumption of fish and seafood appears to be growing, with most of the growth reflecting more frequent consumption by those who had previously eaten fish or seafood only occasionally, rather than with further gains among people already committed to the category. Many of the "medium users" interviewed said that they were now eating more fish and seafood than they did a few years ago. In contrast, most of the "heavy users" claimed that fish and seafood had always been a regular part of their diet and they were now simply eating about the same amount as they always had. Virtually none of the participants reported having reduced their consumption of fish and seafood. "It's become a more regular part of my diet because of health concerns." (Medium User/Tampa) "I eat seafood a minimum of three times a week. I was born in Norway and it's in my heritage." (Heavy User/Tampa) This study was designed to focus on current users and therefore cannot determine the extent to which rising prices, concerns about wholesomeness and other factors may have led some people to abandon their consumption of fish and seafood or reduce it to less than once a month. Nevertheless, these findings point to an expanding role for fish and seafood in American diets. They further suggest that the upper limit for fish and seafood consumption in most consumers' diets would be between two and four times a week. 3. Reasons For Increased Consumption The increasing popularity of fish and seafood appears to be largely attributable to a general trend toward healthier diets and lifestyles, as well as to increased availability of a wider variety of species and recipes in stores and restaurants. The emphasis given to fish and some seafood as lower fat, healthier alternatives to beef and other meats has clearly had an impact. Many of those who are now eating more fish and seafood than they did a few years ago are doing so out of a desire for a more healthful diet. In some cases the change in diet is triggered by a doctor's advice or by a heart attack or other medical stimulus. More often, however, it appears to be the sheer volume of information coming from a wide variety of sources that stimulates the change, suggesting that consumers have internalized the pervasive messages about eating healthier diets and therefore now view fish and seafood in a more favorable light. "Because all of a sudden you're hearing more and more about health and healthy foods." (Medium User/Los Angeles) It should be noted that the potential health benefits of fish and seafood appear to be more salient to medium users than to frequent fish/seafood eaters. As previously noted, medium users were more likely to say that their consumption has been increasing over the past several years and attribute the change, at least in part, to concerns about health. Heavier users, in contrast, generally claimed that fish/seafood has long been a major component of their diet and downplayed the health benefits in favor of taste and variety as reasons for eating as much fish and seafood as they do. Increased availability has also played a key role in increasing consumption of fish and seafood. Most supermarkets now have fresh fish counters offering a wide variety of species, making it easier for consumers to buy fish and seafood at the same time they purchase the rest of their groceries. The perceived increase in the availability, variety and quality of fish and seafood products has also given consumers more choices. This has made it easier to plan a wider variety of fish and seafood-based meals, thereby increasing the total number eaten. Concurrently, restaurants are also seen as offering a wider variety of fish and seafood options on their menus, making it easier for diners to find an appealing alternative to beef, pork or chicken. "...almost every supermarket's got a fish section now with seafood in it. A few years ago they didn't." (Medium User/Tampa) 10 "I think it's more accessible now. It's more available, more people are eating it, you can almost get it anywhere and everywhere now. Years ago you couldn't go into just any restaurant and be able to get seafood." (Medium User/Tampa) "We're amazed that the quality of fish has gotten better over the last year or year and a half.. .there's a lot of good-looking fish and it's priced pretty decent..." (Medium User/New Jersey) In addition to their increased availability, fish and seafood appear to be more prominent in the media. Advertising by trade associations and by seafood chain restaurants has served to make the entire category more visible and salient to consumers. Taken together, these findings suggest that the growing popularity of fish and seafood reflects a self-reinforcing process whereby increased demand has led to greater availability of a wider variety of choices. The increased availability, in turn, has led to still greater consumption. In the absence of a major pollution scare or other event which might lead consumers to turn away from fish and seafood, the self-reinforcing dynamic points to continued growth of fish and seafood consumption. C. WHERE FISH AND SEAFOOD ARE EATEN A major difference between consumers who eat more and those who eat less fish and seafood appears to be their comfort with home preparation. While both heavy and medium users often order fish or seafood in a restaurant, heavier users are more likely to prepare fish and seafood meals at home and appear to eat as much or more fish and seafood at home as they do when dining out. Medium users, in contrast, tend to eat most of their fish and seafood meals in restaurants and prepare them at home less often for a variety of reasons, including: lack of confidence in their ability to cook it properly; the perceived time and effort required to prepare a fish-based meal; and rejection by other family members. These findings suggest that helping consumers overcome their fear of fish by, for example, encouraging retailers to distribute recipes and cooking tips, could lead to greater consumption of fish and seafood at home. With the exception of lobster, which is eaten out far more often than it is prepared at home, there do not appear to be any major differences between the species of fish and seafood eaten at home and in restaurants, although most said that when they have fish in a restaurant they order recipes that they are not able to make at home for themselves. II D. SPECIES Consumers eat a wide variety of fish and seafood products. Shrimp and lobster appear to be the most universally popular species and were among the preferred varieties in all markets. Other commonly mentioned species included (not necessarily in order of popularity): Swordfish Orange roughy Red snapper Salmon Trout Scallops Shark Catfish Mahi-mahi In addition to these species, which were generally mentioned in all markets, there were some regional favorites with more localized appeal, including: ■ Tampa : Grouper ■ Los Angeles : Halibut, Tuna Steak, Sea Bass ■ New Jersey : Flounder, Bluefish There were no species with unique appeal among the consumers interviewed in St. Louis. Although there were no apparent differences between heavier users and those who ate less fish and seafood in terms of preferred species, heavier users do appear to eat a wider variety of species and seem more willing to experiment with new varieties and recipes. E. HOW FISH AND SEAFOOD ARE PREPARED Fish is most often eaten baked, grilled, broiled or fried. Less commonly, some consumers steam fish in foil or poach it. Consistent with the emphasis on healthier diets, frying appears to be sharply declining in popularity, with many consumers reporting that they never prepare or order fried fish anymore. In contrast, baking, broiling and grilling are becoming the preferred methods of preparation. 12 "We have cut down on a lot of saturated fats. We would never cook it in oils anymore. We fix it on the barbecue or we bake it." (Medium User/New Jersey) "You dip the lobster in a little tub of melted butter and all that. Now I just eat it plain." (Heavy user/St. Louis) "We used to have a lot of fried fish and when we'd go out I'd like to have like shrimp au gratin or something with a rich cheese sauce on top and I know I've totally turned away from that... I bake and broil fish." (Heavy User/St. Louis) 13 II. ATTITUDES TOWARD FISH AND SEAFOOD A. OVERVIEW Fish and seafood benefit from highly favorably imagery that contributes to their popularity and reinforces consumers' decisions to eat fish and seafood instead of beef and other meats. Specifically, fish and seafood are associated with both dietary and emotional benefits which drive consumption. As food alternatives, fish and seafood provide: Good taste Variety Healthier alternative to meat Lightness Weight control Convenience (for some) Emotionally, fish and seafood: ■ Are a "treat" and can define a special occasion ■ Allow consumers to feel they are taking good care of themselves ■ Are sometimes more socially acceptable than meat ■ Contribute to some women's feelings of being a good wife and mother for taking care of their families by serving fish and seafood On the other hand, the principal barriers to increased consumption of fish and seafood appear to be: Problems related to preparation Rejection by other family members, limiting opportunities to serve it at home Cost The perception that fish and seafood are not filling Perceived inconvenience of keeping fresh fish on hand at home While nearly all of the consumers interviewed were familiar with stories about mercury and other forms of pollution affecting the wholesomeness of fish and seafood, this does not appear to be having much impact on consumption. Most associate the problem only with fish caught in local rivers and/or bays and believe that fish/seafood offered in stores and restaurants is generally at least as safe and wholesome as other types of food. B. REASONS FOR EATING FISH AND SEAFOOD 1. Dietary Benefits a. Taste 14 Whatever other benefits fish/seafood is seen as providing, consumers eat it because they like it. Taste and texture are clearly the key benefits driving consumption, particularly among the heaviest consumers. When asked why they eat as much fish and seafood as they do, a large majority of respondents cited taste first, ahead of healthfulness or any other motivation. None said they don't like fish/seafood but eat it anyway because they feel they should. "When I go out to eat I don't worry about whether it's good for you or not. It's not like an everyday thing, so it's more like what I want and what I like." (Medium User/Tampa) "I always ate a lot of fish and it's really the taste." (Heavy User/Los Angeles) b. Variety The almost limitless variety of fish and seafood dishes is one of the category's principal strengths. Fish and seafood are a change of pace from other foods and the large number of species and recipes provides more variety than meat and poultry. "It tastes good and you've got all kinds of different options. I mean, a steak is a steak is a steak and it can be tender or it can be tough, but you don't have the options with a steak that you have with different types of seafood. Salmon is different than swordfish than orange roughy than catfish." (Medium User/St. Louis) "I like the taste of it. I like red meat and chicken, but I just like seafood once in a while." (Medium User/New Jersey) "When you eat meat or red meat, steaks, stuff like that, there's basically one way to prepare it and that's about it. With fish, as you eat fish you learn how to prepare it differently." (Heavy User/Tampa) c. Fish and Seafood As Healthier Alternatives Because it is lower in fat and is thought to contain beneficial oils, most fish/seafood is viewed almost universally as a healthier alternative to meat and chicken. Although many were vague about just what makes fish and seafood healthier, the assumed health benefits of fish and seafood were cited by most respondents as one (but only one) of the reasons they eat as much of it as they do. 15 "With red meat, you don't know about it, really. They're saying that it's not really good for you to have red meat all the time, so it's publicity where the fish has the publicity where it's good for you." (Medium User/Tampa) "I've just stayed with things that I feel are good for me and when I think of fish I always think that it's healthy." (Medium User/St. Louis) "My husband has high blood pressure and he also has high cholesterol. ..we always did eat fish, but I do try to prepare more of it." (Medium User/St. Louis) "We've been eating more because we've become more health conscious as far as cholesterol build-up and hypertension. As I got older I realized that my blood pressure had been, not skyrocketing, just climbing little by little and the cholesterol was also up just a little bit. And by eating food with less fat it kind of stabilized." (Medium User/New Jersey) "There's an old adage that fish used to be brain food. I don't know where it came from... I have no idea what it means..." (Heavy User/Tampa) For most consumers, the perceived health benefits of fish appear to relate to the quality of life more than to life span. While some talked about wanting to live longer, more respondents talked about being able to maintain an active, vigorous lifestyle. By eating fish and seafood, many believe they are helping to ensure that they will not spend their old age suffering from the effects of strokes, heart problems and other debilitating diseases. From this perspective, eating fish/seafood is a form of insurance. "I want to have a better chance of living longer and have a better quality of life when I get older." (Medium User/Tampa) "Just being more active and not being confined or under the curse of my past." (Medium User/Los Angeles) "Maybe not living longer, but living healthier... I don't want to have high blood pressure. I don't want to have a heart attack when I'm 50. I want to be able to walk five miles without being all drained." (Heavy User/Tampa) 16 It must be stressed that while health benefits are a central component of consumers' image of fish and seafood and while the emphasis given to these benefits by the medical community and media has played a key role in making the category more salient, health concerns appear to attract consumers initially to the category more than they sustain continued consumption, particularly among the most frequent eaters. A significant number of medium users claimed to be eating more fish and seafood recently as a result of increased concerns about the healthfulness of their diet. In contrast, most of the heavier users said that fish and seafood have been important parts of their diet for much longer, often since childhood. Furthermore, when asked why they eat fish and seafood, most medium and heavy users mentioned the health benefits. However, these benefits were generally volunteered only after references to taste and variety, suggesting that they have a lower priority in consumers' minds. Moreover, when probed directly about how much of their consumption is motivated by health concerns, most heavy users and many medium users denied a strong connection and claimed that while fish and seafood are healthy and this is important to them, they eat them because they like them and if they did not like them as much, they would eat them less often, despite the health advantages. "I guess because it's a treat, the calories factor of it, it's more healthy for you." (Medium User/Tampa) "Primarily because I like the taste. The health thing, though, is somewhat important. I had a quintuple heart bypass, so I'm supposed to watch my diet relatively well. I don't as much as I should. ..but primarily because I like the taste." (Medium User/Tampa) "I think it's good tasting and if it's going to be healthy at the same time, fine. I would never classify it as a health food.. .It could be healthy for you, great. ..But I cremate them with the sauces half the time and defeat all the purpose, all the healthiness of it." (Medium User/St. Louis) Taken together, these findings suggest that while the extensive publicity surrounding the health benefits of a diet rich in fish/seafood has helped position it more prominently in consumers' minds and has stimulated some consumption by people who otherwise ate little or no fish/seafood, the amount eaten is more closely tied simply to how much consumers enjoy eating it. For people who like it, including most heavy users, health is clearly secondary and eating fish and seafood is an enjoyable way of paying lip service to widely recognized and socially desirable values related to maintaining a healthy diet, while indulging in foods that are enjoyed on their merits. On the other hand, those whose consumption is driven primarily by health reasons and who do not go on to develop a love for the food tend to eat it less often. 17 "...I would say almost 15 years ago when they started pressing people to start eating more seafood, more fish and more chicken, and I think that most of us probably don't realize how much we've been hit with these messages constantly, so we don't look at it as a health thing anymore, even though it really is. It's just part of a different way of life." (Medium User/St. Louis) "When we started to eat more of it in my home I think it was because of the health thing. Now that we've eaten it more frequently and a greater variety, I think we like it and I think that's a bigger factor." (Medium User/New Jersey) d. Lightness Fish/seafood is considered lighter and generally does not leave consumers feeling as full or as physically and mentally sluggish as meat. This lightness is particularly important in situations when consumers are not very hungry or want to remain active and alert for the rest of the day or evening. "I don't feel as bloated. I'm a big eater, so I can eat a nice portion of fish and I don't feel as heavy as if I'd have eaten steak or pork chops or something like that." (Medium User/St. Louis) "It's a lighter feeling. It feels lighter, you're not eating so bulky." (Medium User/New Jersey) "I really enjoy eating fish and it's not too filling. When you eat a steak or you eat a heavy meal, you always feel like. ..and you don't feel that way with fish. You have a nice vegetable with it or salad or something and you feel good." (Heavy User/Tampa) "I don't think it's so much the calories. I think it's how I feel [physically] afterwards." (Heavy User/Los Angeles) e. Weight Control Related to its perceived lightness, for some people eating fish and seafood is part of a weight control program. Fish/seafood is generally considered to be lower in calories than meat. Eating it contributes to consumers' efforts to feel and look better in their clothes by losing or maintaining weight. 18 "As far as cholesterol, I don't worry about my cholesterol. I guess it's the calorie end of it." (Medium User/Tampa) "...helps you keep your weight down and clothes fit." (Medium User/St. Louis) "I feel like when I walk out I'm going to be skinny." (Heavy User/St. Louis) f. Convenience Although, as will be discussed in Section C, the perceived difficulty of preparing fish is a major barrier to in-home consumption, some people, especially heavy users who are confident of their ability, regard fish as an easy to prepare, fast cooking convenience food. "I always take it to lunch, to the office, and I fix it in the morning so it's quick. To broil a fillet it just takes five minutes. I cannot fix myself a lunch of, say, a chicken breast, in five minutes in the morning before I go to work.. .it's easy, it's quick." (Heavy User/Tampa) "Fish is one of the fastest foods you can cook." (Heavy User/St. Louis) "...the reason why I eat so much fish is because it's very fast. ..It's very easy to prepare and it's really fast." (Heavy User/Los Angeles) 2. Emotional Benefits a. Fish and Seafood As a Treat For many people, fish and seafood are a treat, something special beyond what they feel about most meat or poultry dishes. For those who can't make them at home, fish and seafood dishes eaten in restaurants have an added novelty value which makes the occasion more special. Thus, for many people there appears to be a positive emotional aura around the fish and seafood dining experience that is not shared by most meat and poultry dishes. This is particularly true for lobster, both because few people prepare it at home (many are squeamish about putting a live lobster into boiling water) and because its high cost makes it unaffordable except for special occasions. "It's not really a staple [of my diet] but more or less, I guess you could call it kind of a treat, when I want something special." (Medium User/Tampa) 19 "...I'll agree that it's kind of a special treat because you can't cook it at home the way they can get it in a restaurant. You just can't do it with the sauces and stuff." (Medium User/Tampa) b. Taking Care of Oneself In addition to the sensory satisfaction derived from eating fish and seafood, some consumers appear to derive an added benefit of feeling good about themselves, even "virtuous," for making a smart, healthy choice. This additional satisfaction appears to contribute to the overall favorable attitudes surrounding fish and seafood as a dietary alternative and reinforces the decision to choose fish or seafood. "I think it's a lighter food, less calories, more healthy. Makes me think I'm doing something good for myself." (Heavy User/St. Louis) c. Social Acceptability The prevailing emphasis on avoiding fat and eating lighter, healthier meals, appears to have created something of a stigma around red meat and has made at least some consumers self- conscious about the foods they order in a restaurant. A few indicated that they sometimes order fish when they are on date or are dining with people they do not know well and are anxious to make a good impression by ordering something light. Although only a small minority (mostly in image-conscious Los Angeles) claimed to be aware of or to care about what others think, among these consumers, fish and seafood appear to have acquired a minor role in image management and self presentation. "I would eat seafood instead of steak so you don't look like you're a pig.. .It's more feminine, I think." (Medium User/Tampa) "I think there might be a little bit of pressure nowadays if you order a big steak, you might get some glances.. ..if you order the tuna fish plate or salad then it's like oh, he's doing the right thing." (Heavy User/St. Louis) "I went to my high school reunion and there were special meals we ordered ahead of time, chicken or fish, and I had called the restaurant. ..and said I want fish. ..and I was eating my fish and everyone at the table stared at me, like they felt guilty that they hadn't ordered fish. Everybody commented on it." (Heavy User/Los Angeles) 20 d. Role Fulfillment Several mothers in the groups reported serving fish/seafood at home in order to get their children into the habit of maintaining a healthier diet. Others indicated that they serve fish and seafood to their husbands as a way of helping to take care of them. These findings suggest a nurturing component to fish and seafood which allows some women (none of the men interviewed reported buying or serving fish as a way of taking care of their wives and children) to feel they are being good wives and mothers by serving fish and seafood. "The higher the cholesterol, the more clogged arteries. More time in the grave. That's the last thing I think the kids are going to want and I think if the kids start off with this routine, maybe it will be better for them down the road." (Medium User/St. Louis) "...it has to do with my children.. .just because I feel like I'm in charge of food, it's my duty to give them healthy food, not bad food." (Heavy User/St. Louis) "I want them to grow up with a healthier outlook on their own eating so I want it to be natural for them, not just to get stuck on meat and potatoes. I want them to feel that they have a lot of different options and if my husband and I don't show them these options they'll never learn it." (Heavy User/New Jersey) 21 C. BARRIERS TO INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF FISH/SEAFOOD 1. Preparation The ready availability of a wide variety of attractive fish and seafood dishes on restaurant menus suggests that availability is generally not limiting out-of-home consumption of fish and seafood. This further suggests that there is likely to be more opportunity for increasing consumption at home than in restaurants. The most significant factor limiting consumption of fish and seafood at home, particularly among medium users, appears to be the perceived difficulty of cooking it properly and the related fear of failure. A large number, perhaps a majority, of medium users believe that fish/seafood is difficult to prepare. Some believe that preparing fish is complicated and time consuming. Others believe that while fish is easy to prepare, appropriate side dishes such as coleslaw take much more time than the potatoes served with meat. Others feel that while fish/seafood is not necessarily difficult to prepare, it is easy to ruin, while still others have simply not learned how to prepare fish and seafood. Additionally, cooking odors prevent some consumers from cooking fish at home. "I'd screw it up trying to fix it, I would. For what you pay for it I want it to be done right. I just would not be able to fix it right." (Medium User/Tampa) "I think it's just easier to ruin. I've ruined enough fish in my cooking history that I don't cook it for that reason." (Medium User/Los Angeles) "It may just be that other things out of my hands in the kitchen are more successful. Fish and seafood just are not success experiences." (Heavy User/New Jersey) "...my biggest problem is knowing how to prepare it to make it taste like it tastes when out because not many of my books have very many recipes for swordfish... fresh fish appeals to me, but not knowing how to prepare it is the problem." (Medium User/St. Louis) "I didn't grow up eating lobster and shrimp and fresh fish and so consequently, that's the thing I don't know how to prepare." (Medium User/St. Louis) "If you buy it fresh it takes longer to prepare it, so I just buy things that are easy to fix." (Medium User/St. Louis) 22 "...steaks you know what to do with. Chicken, you have been brainwashed for so many years what to do with it. But with fish, it's always what spice do you use? What do you do with it? OK, you know the lemon and things like that, but if you have a whole fish, how do you poach it? How do you do all these things? It's not something that you grow up with." (Heavy User/Tampa) "Part of it is if I have fish, I want slaw and fries and hush puppies and for one person, or even two people, that's a lot of trouble to fix all that." (Medium User/Tampa) "When you fix fish you have to have certain things that go with fish. ..like slaw, but slaw is a lot of work.. .it's so much easier if you're going to have a hamburger or a steak to just put a baked potato in the microwave." (Heavy User/St. Louis) "When you cook it at home, the house smells like fish. It's great, but it does stink the place up and there's nothing you can do about it, so you don't do it at home as much." (Medium User/Tampa) Heavy users reported fewer concerns and apprehensions about preparing fish and their greater comfort with cooking it appears to be one of the principal factors differentiating medium and heavy users. That is, heavy users eat more fish than medium users because they prepare it at home as well as eat it when they go out. Several respondents reported that their local supermarkets often distribute fish and seafood recipes and cooking tips and that these aids made it easier for them to cook fish at home, suggesting that aggressive implementation of similar consumer information programs could help increase the frequency with which fish and seafood are prepared at home. 2. Rejection By Other Family Members Not all people like or eat fish and seafood. Children in particular are often said to be reluctant to eat it. In households where either children or other adults dislike fish, the need to accommodate all family members with the same food limits the frequency with which fish is served. "I'd like to make it more but the kids don't eat it. ..So I don't do it as much because I don't like dealing with the kids." (Medium User/Tampa) 23 "[I would eat more fish and seafood] If the rest of my gang liked it as much as I do, but they don't. And I can't do anything about that." (Medium User/St. Louis) "...because I'm the only one eating it so I have to just make something for me and it's not worth doing." (Medium User/New Jersey) 3. Cost Fish is perceived as being a good value in relation to meat and poultry and cost is generally not a barrier to overall consumption. However, some species, such as salmon, swordfish and shrimp, are considered very expensive and their high cost limits the frequency with which some consumers are able to eat them at home. Consumption of lobster in restaurants is also often limited because of its cost (which, as noted, also contributes to its positioning as a "special occasion food.") "...the prices are so high. That's why I like to get it when I go out. If I'm going to pay $6 a pound for shrimp, I'd rather have somebody else fix it for me." (Heavy User/Tampa) "It's very difficult for me to get seafood that I like, salmon steaks and things like that, when they're $7.99 or $8.99 a pound because I have growing kids who are eating us out of house and home as it is." (Heavy User/New Jersey) 4. Not As Filling As Meat While fish and seafood are often eaten as a lighter alternative to meat, the flip side is that fish and seafood are sometimes avoided when consumers are feeling particularly hungry and feel that they simply will not be sufficiently satisfying. "...one of the reasons my husband hates to order fish when he goes out is that he doesn't get enough. While at home you can fix quite a few pieces. When he goes out, one piece or one and a half pieces doesn't do it for him." (Medium User/Tampa) "Given the choice, if I was very hungry I think a meat course seems to be more satisfying..." (Medium User/Los Angeles) 24 5. Inconvenience Consumers insist on fresh fish. The most common theme running through the Thought Balloon cartoon showing the woman shopping in a fish department relates to the freshness of the fish: "I wonder which is freshest?"; "Is it fresh?", etc. For those who insist on very fresh fish, problems of shopping and storage are sometimes barriers to consumption. Many consumers do not trust the freshness of fish sold in supermarkets, but find making a special trip to the fish market to be too inconvenient. Furthermore, even if they are willing to buy supermarket fish or go to a fish store, many consumers who value freshness highly are reluctant to freeze or otherwise store fish for later use and feel they must make a special trip to the store to buy fish the same day they are going to serve it. The inconvenience associated with this special trip keeps some consumers from serving fish and seafood as often as they would if it were more convenient. "I've just had some bad experience when I've bought it at the supermarket. If I buy it at the fish market I really feel a whole lot more comfortable. There's a better assurance that it's fresh. ..it's a pain to go out of your way. You want to do all your grocery shopping at one time, get everything without having to go to a special seafood place." (Medium User/Tampa) 6. Pollution Reports of fish contaminated by mercury and other toxins are by now familiar to nearly all consumers. In each of the groups there were references to concerns about the safety and wholesomeness of fish and seafood and which local species should no longer be eaten. Nevertheless, these concerns appear to have, at most, a minimal influence on behavior. None of the participants reported having reduced the amount of fish and seafood they eat because of pollution. (It should be noted that this study was limited to people who have continued to eat fish and therefore probably underestimates the impact of pollution concerns on the general population. Measurement of the proportion of the population that has stopped eating fish and seafood because of pollution was beyond the scope of this research.) Fish and seafood as a category appears to be relatively insulated from pollution concerns by backlash among some consumers against pervasive health warnings, by a high degree of trust in restaurants and retailers, by the belief that proper seasoning or cooking can neutralize pollution-related problems and by the assumption that no news is good news. a. Backlash Health warnings about all types of products have become so pervasive that some consumers deal with the latest warning by denying the potential seriousness of the threat. 25 "It's as safe as anything else. Chicken's a problem. Cantaloupes are a problem, you have to scrub them before you eat them. The water in Staten Island is high in bacteria. We're just polluting the whole environment and it's getting into everything." (Medium User/New Jersey) "There's something about every food you eat if you look hard enough. Like they say, poultry is really bad for salmonella poisoning and beef has all these additives, growth hormones and all that.. .so the way I look at it, everything has a negative, so if you like fish then you probably ignore that negative more so than the other ones you don't like." (Heavy User/St. Louis) "Our air is so bad that we stop breathing?" (Heavy User/New Jersey) b. Trust Most reports of contamination that consumers are aware of relate to species caught in local rivers and bays. Most appear to react to this information by avoiding those species while assuming that fish and seafood caught elsewhere are safe. This assumption is buttressed by the belief that the availability of fish on a menu or in a display case constitutes certification of its wholesomeness. That is, many consumers believe that restaurants and stores would not sell fish if it were unsafe and therefore, if it is for sale it must be safe. Thus, pollution is seen as a limited problem which is solved by buying rather than catching fish. "When you eat most of the fish that you eat in a restaurant you tend to expect the restaurant to take care of quality, so you don't think about it." (Medium User/Tampa) "It doesn't affect me that much because there's no way I can control it. It's certainly not going to stop my dietary habits. Not at all. I cannot control that, it's up to the government, regulatory agencies to control that." (Heavy User/Tampa) "The only place I won't eat fish is from the rivers." (Heavy User/St. Louis) c. Cooking Some respondents said that they do not worry about pollution because they season their fish with tabasco sauce or other strong flavoring or because they cook it thoroughly, thereby neutralizing any toxins which may be present. 26 "They say if you put it in the oven at 350 degrees or if you boil something that's going to kill whatever is in it anyway." (Medium User/Los Angeles) d. No News Is Good News When reports of contamination related to a particular species first appear, many consumers avoid that species for a while and then, if they do not hear anything else, go back to eating it. For these people, pollution stories have repeated but largely short-term effects on consumption of specific varieties of fish and seafood. "When there's something going on with shellfish there's usually warnings, don't eat clams or don't eat mussels. Then I'll usually slack off on eating clams. I love clams on the half shell, I love oysters, but when there's warnings out there that there's bad clams out there I usually stay away for six months or so until the whole thing seems to blow over." (Heavy User/New Jersey) e. The Special Case of Molluscan Shellfish Consumption of raw, and to a lesser extent cooked, clams, oysters and mussels appears to have declined as a result of recent publicity about the hazards of eating these foods raw. Many respondents in each of the four cities surveyed reported having heard stories of people falling ill or, in some cases dying, after eating raw shellfish and some have either stopped or reduced their consumption. A somewhat larger number appears to have continued eating them. Given the apparent tendency of many consumers to go back to species they have been avoiding if they do not hear any reports of problems after some time, in the absence of additional news stories or distribution of product warnings, many of those who are now avoiding raw shellfish are likely to start eating it again, thereby limiting the long term impact of current safety problems. "Oysters, they're saying shellfish is particularly [bad] holding the toxins more than the fish are, so apparently their systems don't pass it, they hold it. ..so I just basically laid off the oysters." (Medium User/Tampa) 27 III. OTHER SPECIFIC MARKETING ISSUES A. FARM-RAISED FISH There appear to be growing awareness and acceptance of fish farm operations. Most consumers in each of the markets were aware that catfish, trout, shrimp and other species are now being raised on farms. Attitudes toward fish farming are generally positive. Most consumers seem to assume that farm-raised fish are likely to be more wholesome than fish caught in the open seas, rivers, etc. because the environment is more controlled and there are fewer problems with pollution. "Safer maybe, more controlled. ..with pollution and toxic wastes and stuff like that, you never know what that fish ate." (Medium User/Tampa) "I think it might be healthier.. .no contaminants in the water.. .Can't eat certain fish out of the Santa Monica Bay because they're polluted or they're contaminated with something. So probably the ones that are farm raised might be more healthy." (Medium User/Los Angeles) "They're not going into polluted water, and there's a lot of polluted water." (Heavy User/Tampa) "Great idea. You can control the pollution in the water. You don't get bad fish, bad clams. I think it's a great idea." (Heavy User/New Jersey) The only potential liability associated with fish farms is the generalized feeling that the products may be somehow less "natural" or that the fish might be fed too many chemicals, drugs, etc. However, relatively few consumers appear to subscribe to this point of view. "The thing that scares me is that they want to put out a massive amount so.. .they want them fatter so they give it all this steroids or whatever." (Medium User/St. Louis) "What kind of hormones are they going to give it?" (Heavy User/St. Louis) "It seems unnatural. I don't know, it just seems unnatural." (Heavy User/New Jersey) 28 Taken together, these findings suggest that increased promotion of farm-raised fish is unlikely to meet with any significant consumer resistance and may, in fact, help diffuse some of the concerns about safety and wholesomeness. B. BRANDED FISH Creating a unique brand identity for unprocessed fish and seafood products appears to offer some potential. Many consumers find the concept of a brand name on what is essentially a commodity somewhat odd, and some feel that a branded fish would take longer to get to market and would therefore not be as fresh. For many others, however, the examples of Sunkist fruit and Purdue chickens have taken the novelty out of branded unprocessed foods. Moreover, these consumers tend to feel that a seafood company is more likely to stand behind a product that has its name on it than one that is sold anonymously, indicating that the presence of a brand name would be reassuring and would be taken as a signal of quality. "It means they're standing behind it. You can relate that brand name to a product." (Medium User/Tampa) "A brand name would probably make me think that there's more consistency there. ..If they're putting their name on it, they probably have something to do with the growth of the fish all the way from..." (Heavy User/St. Louis) "It might suggest consistency if you like the product and you look for it again.. .Plus, if it's fresh frozen on a boat like that, then you know what you're getting. That would be interesting." (Heavy User/Los Angeles) On the downside, a small number of consumers feel that a branded fish would require more handling and therefore would not be as fresh. Some also feel that the concept of a branded fish sounds artificial. "I don't think it would be as fresh if someone else handled it in between." (Medium User/St. Louis) T'd be very suspicious of a fish identified with a company, I don't know why. It just seems processed or artificial or something." (Heavy User/Los Angeles) 29 C. FLASH FROZEN FISH Virtually all fish consumers are aware that some "fresh" fish and seafood have been previously frozen. Few, however, appear to be familiar with the process of flash freezing fish at sea and the concept seems to have relatively little consumer appeal. Although for some consumers flash freezing means that the fish does not have as much time to spoil before it reaches market and might therefore be better than fresh fish, this view is clearly the exception. Most consumers believe that fresh (never frozen) is always better than frozen because the freezing process affects both taste and texture and, given a choice, would always choose fresh over flash frozen. "The taste I think is better with it being fresh. The frozen tends to be, after you cook it, the taste just isn't the same." (Medium User/St. Louis) "I get the fear of it being frozen and thawed and then frozen again. That, maybe, is the only concern I have." (Medium User/St. Louis) "I think I would prefer the fresh. I mean, if you're looking at expensive fish or something, it just seems like there's more value, that somebody was rushing something to you so you would probably pay a little bit more for it versus something that was frozen..." (Heavy User/St. Louis) "Fresh frozen means that as soon as it's caught it's frozen so it really is.. .just as good to buy it that way." (Medium User/Los Angeles) "When they go deep sea fishing, I'd rather they freeze it right there because that will ensure the freshness. Not put it in the hold and bring it back and spend four days bringing the fish back home. That's not fresh fish." (Heavy User/Tampa) "I'd buy the frozen because I just think travel time and everything, any little bacteria can get in there. Plus, I understand that they can hold the fish on a ship for up to.. .some ridiculous amount of time, like 15 days, and then still sell it to us as fresh." (Heavy User/Los Angeles) 30 D. MOLLUSCAN SHELLFISH WARNING SIGNS Each of the panelists was asked to read two alternative proposed texts regarding concerns about consumption of raw molluscan shellfish, then discuss impressions of the two versions. The first text is a consumer education message compiled with the input of government regulators and molluscan shellfish groups. It reads as follows: CONSUMER INFORMATION These oysters, clams or mussels have been harvested and handled in accordance with strict government sanitation and safety standards. As with some raw food, however, if you suffer from a chronic illness of the liver, stomach or blood disease or have other immune system disorders, you should eat this product cooked. The second text is a proposed warning which has been proposed for use at the point of purchase by the State of California: WARNING! EATING RAW OYSTERS MAY CAUSE SEVERE ILLNESS AND EVEN DEATH IN PERSONS WHO HAVE LIVER DISEASE (FOR EXAMPLE ALCOHOLIC CIRRHOSIS), CANCER OR OTHER CHRONIC ILLNESSES THAT WEAKEN THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. If you eat raw oysters and become ill, you should seek immediate medical attention. If you are unsure you are at risk, you should consult your physician. If posted in stores and restaurants, the proposed shellfish warning notices are likely to have some, though not necessarily a dramatic, impact on consumption of oysters, clams and mussels. For some people who eat raw (and even some who eat only cooked) shellfish, the mere possibility of becoming ill or, even worse, of death, is sufficient to discourage them from eating the foods on the grounds that any risk is unnecessary and unacceptable. 31 "I wouldn't eat it after the [Warning], no way. I'm not going to push my luck. How do I know if I would have something wrong with me?" (Medium User/Tampa) "I find this very frightening because it's in bold and any time something is in bold it's a big warning and it's telling you right there, raw. I eat raw oysters and clams and if I'm going to read this in bold print and.. .it's saying eating raw oysters may cause a bad illness and even death, I would not want to eat it anymore." (Heavy User/Tampa) A significant number of others, however, claim they would continue eating raw shellfish and minimize the personal risk on one of several grounds: ■ They don't have chronic liver, stomach or blood disease and so they are not at risk. "I would just keep eating it because the sign says if you suffer from a chronic illness, liver stomach or blood disease, you shouldn't eat them. So I know I don't have that, so they're not really talking to me." (Medium User/Los Angeles) "I eat oysters, I eat clams, I eat mussels, but I don't have any liver diseases or blood diseases." (Heavy User/Tampa) "No, it wouldn't affect me because I don't have any of these diseases so far so I feel that I can eat these things safely." (Heavy User/Los Angeles) ■ It can't be that dangerous because nothing has happened to them yet. "Two or three people got sick and that's the first time I've seen that in God knows how many years. I could walk outside of here and get killed, right?" (Medium User/St. Louis) ■ They trust good stores and restaurants not to serve contaminated food. "I trust the places that I go to to have oysters. ..you don't go and buy them out of some guy's trunk because you don't know where the guy got them. But if I go to a reputable store or a reputable restaurant, you know they have to be concerned about where it comes from and they make sure the person who harvested it did it in a non- polluted area." (Medium User/St. Louis) 32 "I love raw clams, but not anymore, unless I go to a really fine restaurant, then I may have them.. .because there's a sense of trust. Where they bought them will be good quality..." (Medium User/Los Angeles) "I've heard much the same stuff, all the toxins.. .certified waters. I try to stay away from local shellfish." (Medium User/New Jersey) They use tabasco sauce on their oysters, which presumably neutralizes the toxins. "It's never bothered me before. I love oysters, but I don't eat a lot of oysters and I put a lot of tabasco sauce and lemon and stuff on them..." (Heavy User/Los Angeles) The claim in the Consumer Information that the shellfish have been "harvested and handled in accordance with strict government sanitation and safety standards" is sufficiently reassuring. "The [Consumer Information], I'd probably be apt to eat more. They seem to be under control. It was harvested by, not necessarily the government, but. ..But the [Warning], that's kind of scary.. .If I had a health problem like that, absolutely [I wouldn't eat raw shellfish]. It would scare me to death. ..But [for me], I don't think [it would make a difference]." (Medium User/Tampa) "...that the government approved it, the sanitation and safety." (Heavy User/Tampa) Like cigarette package warnings, these warnings are designed primarily to protect the owner/proprietor in the unlikely event that something happened, rather than being a warning of an imminent danger. "The [Consumer Information] is more reassuring and the [Warning], I don't think it would have an effect on me. ..I perceive it to be similar to the warning that they put on cigarette packages..." (Medium User/Tampa) "It's the same thing like cigarettes has the thing on the pack that says if you smoke them you could die, and nobody paid any attention to that." (Heavy User/Tampa) 33 AOOOOlflfllS^fl AODOOiafil^ 146