Turkey lags behind world average in fish consumption

With nearly 8 kilograms fish consumption per capita annually, Turkey lags behind the world average of consumption of this healthy food, a top executive from a leading fish company says.

“In European countries, annual fish consumption per capita is almost 25 kg. In the Far East, it sharply increases and even reaches above 80 kg annually in Japan. 

In Turkey, it is only 8 kg per capita on annual basis,” Kılıç Deniz Executive Board Vice President Sinan Kızıltan said. 

“Countries such as Norway, Iceland and Japan consume 80 kg of fish per person. The Maldives, with its population of 350,000, is ranked at the top. The main food source of the Maldives, which consists of 1,200 islands, are fish products and Maldivians consume 139 kg of fish per year,” he added. 

Turkey has a rich diversity of fish, but the reason fish consumption is very low is due to the dominance of red meat as a dietary habit across the country, according to Kızıltan. 

“Fish is a leading source of healthy food in the world. We, at Kılıç Deniz, believe healthy food is everyone’s right in the world. For that reason, we make further investments and aim to deliver Kılıç Deniz fish to every point in the world,” he added.

Experts advise people to consume fish twice a week as it is very rich in vitamins, proteins, fatty acids and minerals. 

The water ratio in fish is also higher than other meat sources.