Annual per capita fish consumption in Hungary has reached 4 kilograms-a-year, half of which is derived from imports, the country's Chief Veterinarian and the Ministry of Rural Development's Minister of State for Food Chain Supervision and Agricultural Economy Endre Kardeván said at a press conference held in a fishmongers in Budapest.

Fish consumption in marine European countries is much higher than in Hungary, reaching some 20 kilograms-a-year. One half to two-thirds of Hungary's low fish consumption relates to the Christmas period, but ten percent of the population do not eat fish at all, the Minister of State added.

In addition to fish caught in the wild, in Hungary fish are also raised in fish farms covering some 25 thousand hectares under monitored conditions, excluding any chance of pollution. Marine fish, however, may contain heavy metals, and when comparing prices it should be taken into account that up to half of the packaging may be made up of ice and water, Mr. Kardeván stated. Despite this, as research conducted by the National Food Chain Safety Office recently revealed, 52.9 percent of the population still prefers to buy frozen fish. Only 39 percent of the people polled eat fresh fish regularly, the Minister of State continued, adding that with suitable filleting technology, fish meat can be used to produce products that can also be eaten by children as young as 3 years old, meaning domestic fish could make their way into school meals.

At the fish shop on Garai Square in Budapest, Mr. Kardeván also spoke about what consumers should look for when buying fresh fish: gills should be bright red, with glistening taut skin and bright eyes.

(MTI, Press Office of the Ministry of Rural Development)