U.K. public body Seafish has kicked off its “Seafood for Life” promotion, designed to bring more attention to the health benefits of seafood.
Seafish is starting the campaign off with profiles of three award-winning seafood businesses in the U.K. – Towngate Fisheries in Yorkshire, Fish City in Belfast, and Something Else Fishy in Dorset. Seafish said all three have been recognized for their approach to promoting the health aspects of both fish and shellfish.
“The aim of Seafood for Life is to showcase the benefits of seafood and the good work of the U.K. industry that produces it,” Seafish Chief Executive Marcus Coleman said. “We want to help businesses have informed conversations with their customers that encourage them to eat more fish and shellfish.”
Towngate Fisheries Owner Mark Drummond said his restaurant was one of the first fish-and-chip shops in the U.K. to have the nutritional content of its meals professionally analyzed, which he promotes on the business’s website. Drummond said general perception is that fish and chips are unhealthy, but his aim is to show it fits into healthy diets.
“It’s all about balance. You can have fish and chips as part of a healthy and even a lower-calorie diet if you have a smaller portion and it’s cooked properly. Of course, fish is a natural, unprocessed food that is naturally very healthy,” Drummond said.
While many customers aren’t interested in the health aspects of his products, gaining the customers that do care is important.
“One out of 10 customers might be interested in health, but if you can get to that extra 10 percent of customers, that can mean the difference between a business breaking even or making a good profit,” he said.
Fish City similarly serves fish and chips but also serves a whole range of additional fish and shellfish dishes, Seafish said. Fish City Owner John Lavery said over time, the industry has been evolving and that it needs to evolve its promotions with it.
“There used to be a perception that fish and chips was one of the cheapest food options, and that was the industry’s mantra. However, with pressure on fish stocks and supply affecting prices, that mantra is now obsolete,” he said.
Promoting the value of fish in diets is one way of moving on from that mantra.
“Fish is a healthy, natural protein, often with little or no processing. Government guidelines recommend a minimum of two portions per week, so I believe from a promotional point of view, this provides an opportunity we should focus on,” Lavery said.
Nicki and Martyn Else, who co-own Something Else Fishy, said their business has become a “seafood hub” that sources local and seasonal fish and shellfish for their door-to-door fishmonger, fish-and-chip shops, and their seafood restaurant. The business also works in schools, offering classes on cooking fish and seafood.
“For us, it’s about showcasing the wide range of benefits of seafood and fitting a health message into that,” Nicki said. “I would encourage other businesses to do something like this because it builds loyalty from your customers; they trust you because you are knowledgeable.”
Alongside the profiles, Seafish is also publishing factsheets as part of its work to focus on the nutritional facts of seafood to help promote and increase consumption in the U.K.
“As we begin 2025, we know many people are thinking about ways to be a bit healthier, so we’ve kicked off the year with a focus on the nutritional benefits of seafood,” Coleman said. “We’re highlighting great examples of businesses which are already successfully promoting the health aspects of their dishes and offering resources for the industry which we hope will inspire and inform their own activities."
