The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) has made it a recent focus to ensure that as many parts of fish caught and farmed in Norway are put to good use as possible, rather than wasted, according to Communications Director Martin Skaug.
For the NSC, minimizing seafood industry waste means taking a “nose-to-tail” approach toward utilizing all edible parts of fish, and according to its “Top Seafood Consumer Trends 2025” report, released earlier this year, there’s unprecedented potential to tap into this space.
Skaug also told SeafoodSource that all of the international markets where NSC has a presence are showing “positive signs” in terms of expanding their zero-waste seafood practices.
With all of this momentum, the council is pushing zero-waste messaging in several ways.
Ahead of Stop Food Waste Day on 30 April, U.K. chef and NSC “Seafood from Norway” ambassador Michel Roux shared his zero-waste aspirations, saying he would like to see underutilized parts of fish appearing on more menus.
“I’m a firm believer that if you take the life of an animal, you should use all of it – and that should be the same for fish. We know there should be zero waste where possible,” he said, adding that younger generations are more attuned to sustainability issues and, therefore, might be more amenable to such an initiative.
Elsewhere, in the U.S., the NSC is collaborating with chefs through various foodservice programs, such as the Sea-to-Table Restaurant Week and the World Class Restaurant Collection. These initiatives bring together top-tier restaurants to showcase a Seafood from Norway product through limited-time menu offering (LTOs), and the NSC encourages them to be creative and innovative in their menu promotions and utilize all the parts of the fish that work best for their dishes.
Through the initiatives, restaurants gain a deeper understanding of diverse products and their potential in menu applications, Skaug said.
“We will be bringing back Sea-to-Table Restaurant Week this year and expanding into new markets, reinforcing our commitment to supporting restaurants and fostering a deeper understanding of our products,” he said.
Similar initiatives are underway in Asia, too …
