The #SeafoodMattersUK Event

“Nurturing individual, community and planetary health” - The #SeafoodMattersUK event, held in June 2022, brought together institutional seafood buyers – schools, hospitals, other institutions, community food groups, hospitality, convenience food outlets, retailers, food policy makers and food system researchers. It was designed to understand more about where the seafood in UK markets comes from, what’s new in the market, what to consider when buying seafood and delicious recipes. Attendees had the opportunity to ask questions of experts from industry, research and government as they discuss the challenges of increasing seafood consumption, especially in poorer parts of the UK.

A video record of the event including interviews with some of the organisers and contributors is now available.

Key Messages

This diverse, professional group identified the following key recommendations to support increased seafood consumption for better nutritional, health, and environmental outcomes through greater equity, accessibility and affordability:

1. Enable and promote seafood inclusion in school dinner menus. This helps to ensure children can access nutritious meals, even when that is not easily available at home. This will also increases familiarity with seafood for consumption as young adults. Some key focus points include: mussels are fun, salmon is straightforward, canned mackerel is great value, pangasius is versatile.

2. Strengthen international trade to continue the import of fish that typically enable the poorest consumers to access a healthy choice, whilst also increasing the opportunities for UK wild caught and farmed fish, shellfish and seaweed.

3. Encourage product innovation so that seafood arrives in supermarkets, restaurants and fast food outlets in formats that consumers are familiar with and will enjoy. Create nutritional requirements for fast food that can be met by a greater inclusion of seafood in menus.

For further information about the event see #SeafoodMattersUK. This was an ArchUK activity organised with the help of ThinkAqua and NewNutritionBusiness.