The future of caviar production on the light of social changes: a new dawn for caviar?

• Published in: Reviews in aquaculture 2019-02, Vol.11 (1), p.204-219
• Main Author: Sicuro, Benedetto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquaculture; Caviar; caviar consumption; caviar production; caviar substitutes; Consumers; Consumption; Controlled conditions; Dye dispersion; Extensive aquaculture; farmed caviar; Freshwater fishes; luxury consumers; luxury market; Marketing; Markets; Mimicry; Proliferation; Sturgeon; sturgeon aquaculture; Substitutes
• ISSN: 1753-5123; 1753-5131
• DOI: 10.1111/raq.12235

Caviar consumption is increasing, and main projections indicate that the presumable maximum production will be of 3000 t year−1. From the productive point of view, the principal difference from the past caviar production is the definitive shift from wild to farmed caviar. Due to the recent advances in sturgeon aquaculture and the expansion of luxury consumers, there remains vast potential to reshape caviar consumption. Luxury market is extremely lucrative, it accounted for €217–€253 billion in 2016 and this is about 1.5 times of world aquaculture production. However, these perspectives are not only positive as this market segment is also affected by the diffusion of imitation (i.e. caviar substitutes, in this case). The proliferation of caviar substitutes can be interpreted as a kind of commercial Müllerian mimicry, while the adoption of new marketing strategy defined ‘Masstige’, which describes a downward luxury extensions directed towards middle‐class consumers and introduces new perspectives to this sector in its totality. What suggestions can be made by observing luxury consumers attitudes? This review takes into consideration the relation between sturgeon farming and quality of caviar on the light of modern societal changes. The main challenge for sturgeon aquaculture will be to spread a positive image of farmed caviar, thus introducing the aspects of excellence related to extensive aquaculture in controlled conditions by the adoption of shared rules on caviar quality. The most interesting aspects emerged are related to potential social expansion of caviar consumption, particularly in the middle‐class consumers.