That’s not exactly cheap for a tiny tin of fish eggs, but compared to traditional caviar prices – which can range from about $350 to $3,000 for a similar portion – that’s an unprecedented bargain. Prices for the delicacy are falling across the board these days, for two reasons. First, direct-to-consumer sellers are disrupting the traditional purveyors who relied on brick-and-mortar shops or restaurants. Second: China. Over the past decade, large-scale sturgeon farms have upended the industry. According to one estimate, China’s share of global production leaped from a third in 2018 to nearly half by 2022. By now, China’s surgin’ sturgeon almost certainly accounts for a majority of all caviar eaten globally.
Hard Numbers
Budget bougie
Natalie Johnson
By Alex KlimentSeptember 28, 2026
Alex Kliment
Alex wears a few different caps and tips them all regularly. He writes for the GZERO Daily, works as a field correspondent for GZERO's nationally syndicated TV show GZERO WORLD WITH IAN BREMMER, and writes/directs/voices GZERO's award-winning puppet satire show PUPPET REGIME. Prior to joining GZERO, Alex worked as an analyst covering Russia and broader Emerging Markets for Eurasia Group. He has also written for the Financial Times from Washington, DC, and Sao Paulo Brazil. In his spare time, he makes short films and composes scores for long ones. He studied history and Slavic literature at Columbia and has a Master's from Johns Hopkins SAIS. He's a native New Yorker, a long-suffering Mets fan, and owns too many bicycles.
