Fish Consumption Behaviour and Perception of Food Security of Low-Income Households in Urban Areas of Ghana

Abstract

This paper assesses fish consumption behaviour and perception of fish food security of low-income households using three season survey data from 839 interviews in Ghana. The study profiles the types of fish consumed and employs a modified Cobb–Douglas function to examine the determinants of household expenditure on fish consumption, whilst adopting a 1–5 Likert scale to analyze the perception of fish food security. The results confirm that poor households prefer cheaper and small pelagic fish. The mean expenditure on fish consumption per week is estimated to be GHS 31.15 (Euro 4.94 ≅ 0.16). Additionally, it is demonstrated that marital status, religion, occupation, proximity to local market, and city of residence have a positive and significant influence, whilst level of income, seasonality of fish, and the interaction of religion and seasonality of fish demonstrate a negative and significant influence on fish expenditure. Finally, the paper reveals that the majority of households have the perception that fish is readily available and can be obtained throughout the year in good quality. However, households have varied opinions on accessibility of fish. The paper recommends that the government should support and enhance the value chains of small pelagic fish species since they are preferred by poor households.