WP5: Product development, market and consumer assessment

Prices of Mediterranean aquaculture products weaken and costs continue to rise due to the steadily high volumes of seabass and gilthead seabream that are coming into the market. Although consumers have a reason to be happy due to eventually more affordable prices (i.e. prices of seabass and gilthead seabream remain at the 2012 level), producers are in a difficult position as profit margins have constantly been under pressure.

Objectives:

WP5 explores and validates the technical and market feasibility of developing different product alternatives of specific Mediterranean aquaculture fish species for commercial exploitation, analyzing the potential of different market opportunities, and taking into account socio-economic aspects and consumer requirements.

The expected impact of the work undertaken within WP5 will be to enhance the competitiveness of Mediterranean aquaculture by improving its market performance through a supply chain-wide, market-oriented design of diversified or new types of added-value fish products for EU consumers and food supply actors.