European salmon consumption 'going down with some velocity' but Milarex CEO sees a way to reverse the slide

The volume of salmon consumption is down 16 percent year-on-year across the European retail landscape, according to Thomas Farstad, CEO of Poland-based seafood processing giant Milarex.

According to retail panel data and Milarex's own ordering system, figures indicate sales in several markets have slid to pre-COVID levels in many countries, and in several regions sales are now lagging pre-pandemic numbers.

Large markets such as Germany and Spain are 10 percent below 2019 levels, Farstad said.

Volumes sinking

Over the last 12 months, France, Italy and the UK have been slightly above 2019 levels, but these volumes are going down "with some velocity as we speak," Farstad said.