Summary
This integrated report brings together two complementary perspectives on aquatic foods in the Nordic region. The first part analyses production systems, trade flows, processing capacity, and structural vulnerabilities across Nordic aquatic food value chains. The second part examines consumer behaviour, identifying the cultural, individual, and product-related mechanisms that shape the consumption of aquatic foods. Together, the findings highlight that strengthening Nordic food security and increasing sustainable aquatic food consumption require both system-level measures and behaviourally informed interventions.
From a systems and value chain perspective, the Nordic region is characterised by a strong but uneven distribution of primary production capacity. Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and Greenland are among the world’s most significant producers and exporters of aquatic foods, while Denmark, Sweden, and Finland are more dependent on imports and on processing foreign raw materials. Production is highly globalised, with a large share of Nordic exports, particularly whole fish, processed outside the region before reaching consumers. Feed dependency represents a major vulnerability: Nordic aquaculture, especially salmon farming, relies heavily on imported feed ingredients, making the system sensitive to global supply disruptions. At the same time, intra-Nordic trade in aquatic foods and marine ingredients is substantial and contributes to regional preparedness, although more than 80% of total exports from production-strong countries go to markets outside the Nordic region. The analysis shows that Nordic self-sufficiency in aquatic foods is constrained by structural vulnerabilities, despite the region’s considerable overall production.
Overfishing and the absence of stable coastal-state agreements for key pelagic stocks further undermine long-term stock resilience and planning certainty. The most significant challenges stem from these biological and regulatory weaknesses, combined with significant global integration: for instance, reliance on imported feed ingredients and on many trading partners, as well as unresolved international agreements governing shared fish stocks. Strengthening preparedness will require strategic efforts to diversify feed sources and ensure resource management that supports both biological sustainability and economic stability. A practical next step is to stress-test supply chains across the Nordic region to identify bottlenecks, assess operational readiness, and determine how well the system withstands disruptions.
The second part of the report examines aquatic food consumption and the mechanisms influencing consumer food choice. Across the Nordic countries, consumption levels remain below the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations, particularly among younger age groups. The Aquatic Food Choice Framework underscores that consumption patterns are shaped by the interaction of cultural and contextual factors, individual characteristics, and food-related product features. Cultural traditions, food socialisation, and weak social norms around recommended intake influence behaviour, while individual drivers such as attitudes, skills, trust, price sensitivity, food neophobia, emotions, and habits play decisive roles. Rising seafood prices in recent years have further reduced accessibility for price-sensitive groups. Sensory barriers, especially related to taste, smell, and bones, remain significant obstacles, while low food literacy, particularly limited fish-cooking confidence among young adults, restricts the capability to choose aquatic foods. At the same time, segments with strong health, environmental, or innovativeness orientations offer clear opportunities for increased consumption.
Policy assessments across the Nordic region point to a combination of effective measures. Market-based instruments, such as VAT reductions or subsidies on sustainable species, can meaningfully improve affordability. Information-based strategies, including clearer health and sustainability labelling and targeted campaigns integrated with skill-building activities, can strengthen motivation and capability. Regulatory measures, such as public procurement requirements or mandatory food education, can increase opportunities to consume aquatic foods in everyday settings. Nudging approaches, such as making fish the default option in institutional meals, can help break habitual barriers and normalise consumption. Expanding the use of lesser-used and affordable species will require coordinated efforts across product development, education, tasting initiatives, and storytelling that connects new species with Nordic traditions.
Together, the two perspectives show that the future of aquatic food consumption in the Nordic region hinges on both the structure of the supply system and consumers' behavioural patterns. Nordic food security, sustainability goals, and public health ambitions will depend on integrating value chain resilience with evidence-based, consumer-oriented interventions. A coherent, multi-level effort spanning policy, industry, education, and communication is essential to unlock the full potential of aquatic foods for healthy, sustainable, and secure Nordic diets.
Recommendations for preparedness
The following measures address the structural vulnerabilities outlined above and aim to strengthen preparedness in the Nordic aquatic food system.
1) Systematically assess and prepare supply chains disruptions
Nordic seafood value chains are closely integrated with global markets for inputs, processing, and logistics. Coordinated, scenario‑based assessments should be used to examine how disruptions to feed supply, processing capacity, transport routes, or market access would affect product flows. This would help identify critical bottlenecks and clarify the minimum levels of regional processing flexibility and routing capacity needed to maintain supply when external routes are constrained. Strengthening such internal options can reduce exposure to disruptions and support both crisis preparedness and consumer access.
2) Diversify feed sources
Nordic aquaculture remains highly dependent on imported feed ingredients, exposing the sector to global supply disruptions and limiting preparedness. Increasing the share of regional or domestically sourced feed materials would reduce risk and improve the robustness of primary production across the Nordic region.
3) Strengthen management co‑operation on shared stocks and management of all stocks
Fisheries management is a core element of Nordic preparedness. While the management of many stocks is science‑based and well‑functioning, several important stocks now face biological pressure due to high fishing mortality, low spawning biomass, or unresolved management frameworks. For shared stocks, unresolved coastal‑state agreements and quota disputes further reduce predictability and long‑term resilience. Such constraints should be mitigated in peacetime.
Recommendations for increased consumption of aquatic foods
Insights from the aquatic food choice framework and the COM‑B model show that aquatic food choice is shaped by multiple interrelated factors. As a consequence, no single policy instrument can shift behaviour on its own.
This complexity calls for comprehensive, long‑term strategies that combine multiple policy tools. Building on the Nordic Council’s dietary recommendations and the identified determinants of aquatic food choice, the following sections outline actionable measures across market‑based, regulatory, nudging, and information‑based approaches to promote sustainable aquatic food consumption.
1) Reducing VAT
Aquatic foods have experienced the steepest price increases in the Nordic region, rising over 40% since 2015, making cost a major barrier to meeting dietary recommendations. Because price is one of the strongest determinants of aquatic food choice, reducing VAT on fish and seafood, would significantly improve affordability and stimulate consumption.
2) Information Campaigns Targeting Young Consumers
Young people consume far less aquatic food than recommended, and information-based tools can effectively strengthen their motivation and capability by increasing awareness, knowledge, and practical skills. Funding integrated campaigns, combining nutritional messaging with cooking tutorials, hands-on workshops, and pretested communication materials, would give young consumers clearer guidance and greater confidence in choosing and preparing fish and seafood.
3) Clear and Harmonised Labelling
Consumers increasingly want to make healthy and environmentally responsible choices, but unclear or inconsistent labels reduce their opportunity to act on these intentions. Strengthening and harmonising labelling systems would make it easier for consumers to identify healthier and more sustainable aquatic foods at the point of purchase.
4) Strengthening Public Procurement
Public procurement has the potential to influence everyday food choices by ensuring that schools, hospitals, and workplace cantinas offer fish and seafood at least twice a week. By doing so, institutions make these options readily available while reducing the need for individuals to prepare the dishes themselves, thereby improving both the opportunity and the practical capability to choose nutritious aquatic foods. To improve implementation, training support for catering staff would help increase their capacity to create appealing, nutritionally appropriate aquatic food dishes.
5) Mandatory Training in Schools
Introducing mandatory education and training in handling and preparing fish and other aquatic foods in schools would strengthen young people’s capability to cook and consume aquatic foods. As younger age groups report both lower seafood intake and limited cooking skills, early skill‑building would reduce practical barriers and support adherence to dietary recommendations.
6) Make fish the default option
Default options can help shape everyday habits and social norms by making fish the standard protein choice in settings such as schools, workplace canteens, and hospitals on selected days. This nudging approach increases aquatic food consumption without limiting their freedom, since most individuals tend to stick with the option that is already in place rather than actively selecting an alternative.
7) Promoting Lesser‑Used Aquatic Species
Aquatic food consumption in the Nordic region is concentrated on a small number of familiar species, even though many lesser‑used options are both widely available and more affordable. Encouraging people to choose these species requires building food literacy through education, recipes, and cooking guidance, while also reducing neophobia by offering tastings, working with chefs, and using cultural stories to make unfamiliar fish feel more familiar. Introducing lesser‑used species as default options in public meals and ensuring clear sustainability and health labelling can further expand opportunity and normalise their consumption.