Retail & Marketing News

The UK seafood industry has been urged to unite if it wants to boost fish consumption

Eat more fish

THE call came from Seafish, the public body supporting Britain’s £6 billion seafood sector, as it published its new three-year corporate plan. This focuses on the UK government’s advice that people should eat more fish.

Recent research conducted by Seafish revealed that 72 per cent of adults do not know that they should be eating two portions of seafood a week, one of which should be oily.

This, coupled with stagnant consumer demand for seafood and strong competition from other proteins, has been recognised as an important issue for the seafood industry.

It is one of the key challenges for Seafish in the 2018-2021 corporate plan.

The plan sets out a bold vision for a thriving seafood sector. Increased consumption is a key factor, which will bring benefits beyond the supply chain, creating prosperity, bringing job opportunities, contributing to sustainable communities and improving the health and wellbeing of the public.

Seafish says it has worked closely with its three industry panels, which represent the seafood industry from catch to plate, to identify the issues and challenges that matter most.

As well as working to increase consumption, Seafish will address four other challenges over the next three years:

– a changing political, economic and regulatory landscape as the UK exits the EU;

workforce – competing with other food production sectors for access to a suitably skilled workforce, while addressing complex challenges around workplace safety;

supply – sourcing sustainable seafood in an increasingly competitive global market, alongside continued public concern over practices that compromise human welfare and the environment;

cessfully accessing data, information and knowledge that will ensure the sector is equipped to understand a changing environment.