## 3 Analysis of the Rainbow Trout Sector Using the Value Chain and Multi-Market Equilibrium Method
### New Consumption Trends  
Globally, consumption of fish as food has increased by approximately 70% since the 1960s-70s. The most important nations in terms of fish consumption are Japan, the United States, and Europe (Table 12) [1]. The globalisation of fish product trade has fostered the development and expansion of new distribution chains. The ways in which fish products are purchased and prepared have changed in recent years. In 2020, 88% of fish products were directly consumed (156 MT of 179 MT). In 2020, in several developed countries, frozen products represented the most popular product type (Table 13). Table 13 shows the prices of different rainbow trout products in six geographic zones of Italy. The highest prices are paid in Zone 2, in which there are regions with a greater tradition in trout farming and a high quality of products. Zone 3 includes the regions of central Italy, whereas Zone 4 includes the southern regions. Zones 5 and 6 refer to single regions. In these cases, the lower price is due to the high availability of fish and the preference for fresh products. The diffusion of these products is determined by various factors, such as the possibility of preservation for long periods, the absence of limitations due to seasons, the preservation of the nutritional value, and the ease of use. The wide flexibility of frozen products determines an increase in the elasticity of offers and, therefore, in the income of producers. The frozen food segment is an interesting sector for the fishing industry in relation to its high added value and the possibility of exporting the product. Consumer preferences vary in relation to ease of use, quality, freshness, taste, safety, and price of the product. Consumer preferences also vary in relation to household income and demographic and lifestyle changes. Technological developments in processing and distribution and the expansion of large-scale distribution (GDO) have contributed to the rapid change in the fish sales system. Consumption of organic aquaculture products grew at the European level by 20% in the five-year period 2015-2019, and in some nations, such as France, consumption even increased by 48% [67]. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Different Trout Cuts** & **Area 1** & **Area 2** & **Area 3** & **Area 4** & **Area 5** & **Area 6** \\ \hline Trout fillet & 12.73 & 13.06 & 12.28 & 13.50 & 11.90 & 10.90 \\ Whole white trout & 6.50 & 6.70 & 5.95 & 6.81 & 7.41 & 5.94 \\ Whole salmon trout & 9.93 & 10.40 & 9.97 & 9.10 & 7.60 & 7.62 \\ Gutted salmon trout & 7.51 & 7.77 & 6.90 & 6.95 & 7.10 & 6.99 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Area 1: regions include Lombardients, Piemonte, Liguria, and Val D Mosta; Area 2: regions include Veneto, Trentino, Friuli, and Emilia-Romagna; Area 3: regions include Toscana, Marche, Umbria, and Lazio; Area 4: regions include Campania, Abruzzo, Molise, Puglia, Basilicta, and Sicilia; Area 5: region includes Sardegna; Area 6: region includes Calabria. Source: ISMEA, 2021 [7].  
\end{table} 
Table 13: Price paid by consumers in different geographical areas of Italy. The portion size is generally a whole rainbow trout, which is less than 500 g with white or pink flesh. Medium-sized trout are between 500 g and 1.2 kg and are generally used for filleting. Large trout are over 1.2 kg and are generally used for smoking. In 2020, approximately two-thirds of EU-28 production was in portion-sized and medium-sized trout (64%) (Italy: 88%), while approximately one-third was large-sized trout (36%). The share of portion-sized trout decreased in 2020 compared to 2014. In 2020, 50% of intra-EU trout trades were of smoked rainbow trout, while portion-sized trout accounted for 15% [62]. The main intra-EU suppliers of portion-sized trout are Denmark, Spain, and Poland. The main intra-EU destinations are Germany, Poland, and France. Rainbow trout produced within the EU accounted for 83% of total supply, while the remaining 17% are imported trout mainly from Turkey and Norway.