Denmark’s official dietary guidelines recommend that its citizens eat less meat and instead opt for legumes and fish. Three hundred and fifty grams of fish per week is recommended, of which 200 grams should be “fatty fish”, such as salmon.
Smoked salmon is a favorite among the Danes. However, not all salmon are the same. With some farmed and some wild-caught, which ones do consumers prefer?
A blind taste test conducted by the University of Copenhagen sought to find out.
Suspicious findings
The researchers recruited 92 Danes between the ages of 18 and 65 and asked them to test samples of conventional, organic and wild smoked salmon.
In the first round, the participants did not know which salmon was which. For the next round, the participants were told which salmon had been produced according to which production method.
Conventional and organic salmon were the clear winners in the blind taste test. Among the two preferred by Danish consumers, conventionally farmed salmon tended to be liked more than organic.
However, in the second round, the results changed dramatically, with conventional salmon in last place. Organics ranked first, followed by wild-caught.
“The test shows that people’s expectations of a product are based on the information they receive and that this affects their overall taste experience. With smoked salmon, there seems to be a perception that wild salmon should taste better than conventional farmed salmon. ” Said the study’s lead author, Mausam Budhathoki.
“However, the blind test revealed that people simply preferred the taste of farmed salmon.”
Why the preference for farmed fish?
There could be several possible explanations for consumer preference for farmed fish, according to the study author. One could be that the Danes are more familiar with the taste and color of farmed salmon, as this is clearly the most widely available type of salmon on the market.
In fact, most of the sliced and vacuum-sealed packages of smoked salmon sold in Denmark come from Norwegian aquaculture farms.
“Another reason may be that wild salmon has less flavor because it is leaner than farmed salmon, as was the case here.”
The study also indicated a lack of awareness among Danish consumers about farmed salmon.
“It seems that many Danes are quite confused about the differences between various salmon products,” Said co-author Helene Christine Reinbach. “This is for good reason, as the salmon production chain is long and relatively opaque.”
Furthermore, the salmon farming sector has been associated with unsustainable practices in the past. When salmon farming areas don’t have adequate rest, for example, or when farmed salmon escapes into the wild, they can pollute the environment.
“Many factors can influence perceptions about a product”,Reinbach said. “Do you have any pharmaceutical residue? Does it come from an overfished stock? Have you lived a natural life? And what exactly is fish welfare? “
The findings suggest that wild salmon is the clear favorite when it comes to provenance information, the co-author continued. “It provides positive associations about being more natural and, consequently, better in terms of animal health and welfare.
“The fact is, however, that only farmed salmon is eligible for organic certification in Denmark, where there are strict sustainability, health and animal welfare requirements in production.
“On the other hand, most wild salmon populations in our part of the world are in poor condition and have higher concentrations of environmental toxins than farmed salmon.”
Is more information required on the package?
In Denmark, sales of organic fish, including salmon, are slow to take off. At the same time, organic foods in general have gained a larger market share in recent years, despite their higher prices.
Given the results of the taste test, which showed that organic salmon was a favorite in both rounds, could there be potential for organic smoked salmon producers to take more ownership of the market?
Reinbach thinks so: “There is a clear opportunity for promotion, by equipping consumers with more information on the positive aspects that differentiate organic salmon from conventional and wild-caught salmon.
“For example, more information could be included on the packaging to help guide consumers, regarding the sustainability and health benefits of organic smoked salmon.”
The co-author continued: “At the same time, the industry should work to increase the availability of organic options in local stores, as it may still be difficult to get there.”
Fountain: Food quality and preference
‘The role of production method information in sensory perception of smoked salmon: a mixed methods study from Denmark’
Published online July 1, 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104325
Authors: Mausam Budhathoki, Anette Zølner, Thorkild Nielsen, Helene Christine Reinbach
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