Fish consumption patterns and diets of rural and urban Nigerians

Abstract

Nigeria is a country highly reliant on marine and inland fish for economic activity and food and nutrition security (Kolding, Van Zwieten, Marttin, & Poulain, 2019; Selig et al., 2018), while aquaculture is a growing sector. Nigerians consume fish fairly frequently (IPSOS, 2017), but less is known about the role of fish in individual diets, the types of fish, and the forms of fish consumed in different regions. This study is intended to bridge the gap between previous studies of consumer patterns, such as the study conducted recently in two seasons (IPSOS, 2017) and the national nutrition study funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID, UNICEF, and the CDC that is currently underway. Neither of these studies had a focus on fish and aquatic foods, and details about regional and individual fish consumption in Nigeria are lacking. We conducted this survey to determine regional patterns of fish consumption, the role fish play in the overall diet of Nigerians, and the potential of fish production in improving the overall quality of diets.