Apparent Consumption of Salmonid Fish Products in Croatia from 2013 to 2023

Abstract By estimating food and nutrient consumption national and international bodies organizations and scientific institutions gain critical insights into consumption patterns. These insights, spanning from global to household levels, are essential for guiding effective food, agricultural, management and market policies and strategies in both the public and private sectors. This paper applies Food Balance Sheets to analyse official data on domestic production and trade (imports and exports), presenting the apparent consumption (net supply and per capita) of salmonid products in Croatia for the period from 2013 to 2023. During this period, the average net supply of salmonid products was 2.078 tonnes live weight. The main product categories were fresh/chilled salmonids, salmonid fillets and smoked salmonid fillets, while frozen, prepared and preserved salmonids had a lower market share. The average per capita consumption was 0.51 kg live weight. Salmonids accounted for approximately 2.5% of the total apparent consumption of fishery and aquaculture products in Croatia. In order to improve consumer awareness, the public sector should develop targeted and effective food and agricultural policies and optimize data collection related to processing. production and trade in cooperation with the private sector. Meanwhile, the private sector should increase production, expand product diversification (including filleting and smoking) and strengthen marketing initiatives.