A new study by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute has found that developing nations pay less for nutrition in seafood imports because they are charged lower prices compared to developed nations.
The research found that often, developed countries pay a premium for factors such as freshness and convenience, among others.
As a result, poorer countries tend to export their premium seafood and export frozen options that are cheaper. However, this does not mean they are getting inferior nutrition, the study found. Since the nutritional value of frozen or fresh salmon is the same, for instance, it means developed nations are getting better nutritional value per dollar by exporting premium seafood and importing a cheaper option.
Commenting on the findings, Marine (Yaqin) Liu, the study’s first author and environmental economist at WHOI, stated:
“Every way we sliced the data, the outcome was the same: developing countries get more nutrition for every dollar they spend on imports compared to wealthier nations. They’re getting more protein, more fatty acids, more iron, and more vitamin B12. That’s because they aren’t paying a premium for the non-nutritional traits that developed countries tend to value more.
By linking these two databases together, we could match nutrient content with the specific seafood products exchanging hands. We’re the first team to do this analysis in the seafood trade sector. We initially worried that the lower cost of seafood imports might reflect lower nutritional value. But our research shows that’s not the case. In fact, our findings indicate that any disruption to global seafood trade could negatively impact nutrition in developing countries.”
While Martin Smith, the study designer and George M. Woodwell Distinguished Professor of Environmental Economics in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University, added:
“We mostly take micronutrients for granted in high-income, developed countries, partly because we fortify foods and partly because we just have a lot of them in our diets already from eating a lot of animal products. But micronutrient deficiencies are a real problem for many developing countries.
“Seafood consumers in the United States, Japan, the European Union, and other high-income countries are paying a high premium for getting more fresh fish into their markets, even though it’s not more nutritious. When wealthier countries pay extra for freshness, that creates an opportunity for lower-income countries to import frozen fish for a lower price and still get that nutrition.”
