90% of the salmon consumed in Italy is Norwegian

Italy is confirmed as a very important market for Norwegian salmon, which accounts for 90% of all salmon consumed in our country, according to data presented at Seminar 2025 promoted by the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), an event dedicated to analysing trends in the Italian fish market, with a focus on the main products from Norway: salmon, stockfish and cod.

The value of salmon imports from Norway reached EUR 1,277 million, accompanied by significant growth in both volume (+14%) and value (+9%), highlighting expanding demand even in a complex economic environment.

According to Nsc, almost 75% of consumers in Italy indicate Norwegian salmon as 'the preferred choice among the available varieties, a figure significantly higher than the global average, currently around 61%'.
An interesting sign of the evolution of consumer behaviour is represented by digital purchasing: 10% of Italians say they buy Norwegian salmon 'often or very often' via online retail or dedicated apps. "The integration of the product into these new digital ecosystems," according to Nsc, "helps to strengthen its presence in the daily lives of Italians, bringing Norwegian salmon also to the tables of those who have little time but do not want to give up quality and wellness.

According to Crest data from Circana, presented during the seminar on consumption outside the home, in 2024 Italians consumed over one million portions of fish and seafood, an increase of +3% compared to the previous year.vSalmon was confirmed as the undisputed protagonist of the out of home: "the overall growth was +6.2%, mainly driven by contexts such as Quick Service Restaurants and workplaces". .

 According to the research, almost half of consumers looking for quality (46%), choose salmon during meals outside the home and Norwegian salmon ranks as one of the most complete and popular options.
Cod also recorded a positive performance with +5.2%, evenly distributed across all its variants.