As incomes have increased, the lower-value species that were traditionally consumed have been increasingly pushed aside for higher-value product.
Interview with Novel Sharma
Seafood Analyst at Rabobank"We’re seeing high-income elasticity in seafood."
Seafood Analyst at Rabobank
As incomes have increased, the lower value species that were traditionally
consumed have been increasingly pushed aside for higher-value products.
‘It’s not just that people are going from lower-value seafood to other animal proteins. They are moving to more premium types of seafood,’ says Rabobank’s Novel Sharma.
There are other, big shifts happening within Chinese society that impact what people eat and how. Novel points to differences in a traditional household, where just one person – typically the mother or grandmother – would make food decisions.
‘You only had to convince that one person,’ he points out. ‘But with changes to more single or smaller households, everyone makes their own choice and you have to convince more people.’
His research for Rabobank echoes the NSC’s projections into single-person houshold growth for example. that the number of single-person households in China stood at 28 million people in the year 2000.
That figure is projected to hit 133 million by 2050. At the same time, urban populations continue to boom: in 2000, some 460 million Chinese people
were city dwellers, according to Rabobank figures.
In 2025 that surpassed 956 million and by 2050 more than 1.1 billion Chinese people will be part of the urban sprawl – something that has a huge impact on seafood.
"Chinese people love products that are healthy and that offer some extra element that sparks interest."
Seafood Analyst at Rabobank
Novel’s research shows that those in the city consume almost 60% more seafood than those in rural areas. Seafood is also the fastest-growing protein category thanks to its association with good health.
All this has a knock-on effect that can already be seen in the way products are marketed. ‘You cannot just rely on the old approaches,’ says Novel.
‘Online platforms are key and it’s important to first educate the public about what your product is – and what benefits it offers. Chinese people love products that are healthy and that offer some extra element that sparks interest. That really helps you establish your brand identity.’
This advice applies to Seafood from Norway and salmon, even in the face of the impressive growth numbers seen over 2025.
‘Salmon is unique,’ he says. ‘But I still think that, if you go outside of tier-one cities, a huge chunk of the population probably can’t tell the difference between salmon and trout. This means brand identity continues to be very important.’