Inflation and the soaring cost of living in the U.K. have taken their toll on consumers’ wallets over the past two years, but “Explore,” a new omni-channel, recipe-focused Seafood from Norway (SFN) campaign rolled out by the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), is looking to alleviate some of that pressure by spurring at-home consumption of sustainable, yet affordable food options such as Norwegian cod and haddock.
NSC’s U.K. Director Victoria Braathen said she believes the campaign will resonate well with a growing demographic of consumers who are looking to expand their seafood consumption because it provides a healthy, sustainable, and delicious meal option.
“Seafood is seen as a healthy protein among U.K. consumers, and therefore, it is well-aligned to dietary missions, but key barriers to purchase – alongside cost – center around confidence and inspiration in its cookery,” Braathen said. “’Explore' aims to tackle these barriers and show the value of responsibly sourced Norwegian whitefish with simple but delicious culinary inspiration out of home alongside co-created initiatives in retail-owned channels to add color to the category and influence purchasing [decisions].”
The campaign comes on the heels of an NSC whitepaper, “Building Seafood Consumer Confidence to Boost Consumption,” which found that U.K. consumer budgets are experiencing extreme pressure. In addition, low confidence in how seafood is handled and a lack of recipe inspiration with these products have led to most Brits only eating around half of the amount of seafood recommended by health professionals, NSC said. But the report found that U.K. diets are “evolving,” and that with a greater focus on healthier eating and sustainability, the opportunity for seafood is “huge.” The NSC maintains that consumers “simply need more guidance and inspiration” to build their confidence toward enjoying seafood at home.
“The versatility and health credentials of whitefish such as cod and haddock are yet to be fully realized by U.K. consumers,” Braathen said. “There is an ocean of modern global flavors that can easily be explored as an accompaniment to this healthy protein to recruit a new and younger audience.”
Running from October through the middle of November, NSC predicts the “Explore” campaign will have a reach of over 30 million U.K. consumers. As well as advertising across London, the recipe-based campaign will comprise strategic digital media advertisements and home-cooked influencer content. It will also feature in-store placements at retailers such as Asda, Waitrose, and Sainsbury’s.
“Norwegian cod and haddock, with their beautifully white, flaky flesh, take on flavor well and can be enhanced with gentle spices and herbs, complementary vegetables, and sauces,” Braathen said. “Demonstrating how these types of fish can be used daily through provision of simple, modern recipes that appeal to younger consumers looking for healthy, delicious proteins to incorporate into their diet and recipe repertoire is essential. Our ‘Explore' recipes focus on taste and simplicity drivers and are designed to grow consumer confidence so that choosing accompaniments for, handling, and cooking with whitefish becomes all the more familiar and enticing.”
Recipes featured in the campaign include Norwegian cod with red peppers and tomatoes, baked cod and cherry tomato orzo, and fish and chips with a pea puree.
The U.K. continues to be among the biggest export markets for Norwegian seafood, with top species including salmon, cod, haddock, and cold-water prawns, according to the NSC. For the year to-date, Norway has sold 95,739 metric tons (MT) of seafood to the market, worth GBP 473 million (USD 580.8 million, EUR 548 million), down 11 percent by volume and 2 percent by value year over year.
Braathen said the volume decrease stems from a supply plateau or decline seen within several species, including salmon, haddock, prawns, and mackerel, but that other species, such as cod, are performing well.
“The U.K. is a key whitefish market and [the] year-to-date export volume of Norwegian cod is up 8 percent,” she said. “Within that market, frozen fillets and frozen cod has been increasing 15 percent and 11 percent, respectively, and generally we see an increasing share of Norwegian cod exported to the U.K. We also continue to see growing demand for other whitefish species such as halibut and saithe.”
Photo courtesy of Norwegian Seafood Council
