Developing countries are gaining more nutritional value from seafood imports compared to their developed counterparts, according to a recent study published in Nature Communications. Conducted by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the analysis reveals that developed nations often pay a premium for non-nutritional attributes such as convenience, while developing countries benefit from a higher nutritional yield per dollar spent.
The findings underscore the critical role of seafood in global food security, particularly for nations heavily reliant on imports to meet dietary needs. “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,” said Marine (Yaqin) Liu, the study’s first author and an environmental economist at WHOI. “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.”
Seafood’s Role in Global Nutrition
Seafood, sourced from both marine and freshwater environments, is the most traded food commodity worldwide. It plays a significant role in food security, with over a third of the global population relying on seafood for at least 20% of their animal protein intake. Fish and shellfish are rich in heart-healthy fatty acids and essential vitamins and minerals, including B12 and calcium.
Martin Smith, George M. Woodwell Distinguished Professor of Environmental Economics at Duke University and co-designer of the study, highlighted the disparity in micronutrient availability. “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,” Smith noted.
Economic Analysis of Seafood Trade
The research team sought to understand whether developing countries were sacrificing nutrition for lower-cost seafood imports. They utilized two comprehensive databases: the United Nations Comtrade, which provides global trade data on both wild-caught and farmed seafood, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which offers detailed nutritional information by seafood species and product type.
“By linking these two databases together, we could match nutrient content with the specific seafood products exchanging hands,” Liu explained. The study focused on data from 2015 to 2021, analyzing 266 unique seafood products that represent 90% of the global seafood trade. Researchers used six methods to classify importing countries as developed or developing, based on socioeconomic factors such as GDP and food insecurity.
“We’re the first team to do this analysis in the seafood trade sector,” Liu continued. The team examined 267,505 records on bilateral trade, calculating the nutrient content per dollar for nine nutrients, including protein, fatty acids, vitamin B12, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, and magnesium.
Discrepancies in Seafood Preferences
The study found that developing countries, typically low- and middle-income nations, pay lower prices for nutrition in imported seafood than developed countries. For instance, while a pound of fresh salmon and a pound of frozen salmon have similar protein content, developing countries pay less for frozen fish, thus obtaining more protein per dollar.
“When it comes to seafood imports, developing countries get more nutritional bang for their buck,” said co-author Joshua Abbott, a professor of sustainability at Arizona State University. The researchers noted that the discrepancy largely reflects differences in consumer preferences for seafood qualities unrelated to nutrition.
“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,” Smith explained. “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.”
Global Health Implications
From a global health perspective, the findings are encouraging. “We initially worried that the lower cost of seafood imports might reflect lower nutritional value,” Liu said. “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.”
The research highlights the importance of maintaining stable global seafood trade routes to ensure nutritional security in developing nations. As the world continues to grapple with food security challenges, these insights could inform policy decisions aimed at supporting equitable access to nutritious food.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is a leading research organization focused on marine science and engineering. Established in 1930, WHOI’s mission is to understand the ocean and its interactions with the Earth, advancing knowledge to inform policies for a healthier planet. Learn more at whoi.edu.