If U.K. citizens were to buy more domestically produced seafood, it could help the nation better meet dietary recommendations and climate goals, according to a new study conducted by the Rowett Institute at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
The research – funded through Scotland’s Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division (RESAS) – mapped U.K. seafood production, trade, purchases, and consumption using a database linking over a decade’s worth of information through 2020.
Referencing the database, it confirmed the country’s seafood import-export ratio has resulted in a loss of nutrition for U.K. citizens, despite the fact oily fish caught and farmed in U.K. waters could provide nearly 75 percent of daily recommended omega-3 intake and almost half of recommended vitamin B12 levels.
Instead of being consumed domestically, the study showed most U.K. salmon, herring, and mackerel is sold abroad, while the majority of seafood eaten in the country, such as shrimp, cod, salmon, and tuna, is imported.
Rowett Institute Professor of Human Nutrition Baukje de Roos told SeafoodSource that while most previous research focused on either the production or consumption of seafood, the Rowett team wanted to combine the two focus areas to understand how seafood consumption in the U.K. relates to global food supply chains.
“We know that our food systems are a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, transforming diets to build a more sustainable food system is paramount to achieving net-zero [emissions] by 2045. Seafood plays a key role in healthy and sustainable food systems and is likely to feature more in our diets as we transition to net-zero. Seafood provides more nutrients than terrestrial alternatives at lower emissions,” she said. “Both oily fish and shellfish could fill an important dietary gap as meat consumption decreases as part of more healthy and sustainable diet scenarios, offer nutrients which plant-based diets lack, and alleviate emerging micronutrient deficiencies for specific population groups. Yet, seafood is often left out of studies modeling transitions to more sustainable diets.”
The research team at the Rowett Institute, therefore, argues that a new push is needed to persuade the U.K. to eat more local seafood. However, that push needs to be strategic, according to de Roos, who listed the example of herring and mackerel, both of which the U.K. fishes in large volumes.
Though relatively cheap for consumers to buy, the heavy export of these species indicates that consumer preferences and demand, rather than a limited supply, are determining the current patterns of fish production, trade, and consumption and should guide how authorities approach persuading the U.K. to eat more seafood.
“This highlights the need to explore opportunities and interventions that increase consumer demand for fish,” de Roos said.
She said more targeted dietary recommendations for fish consumption could be one way to effectively go about making that push.
“We may also want to consider more context-specific dietary recommendations for fish consumption in population groups reporting low seafood intake, as they will benefit most from increased seafood consumption. Currently, average weekly fish consumption is well below U.K. dietary recommendations across income groups, but fish intake in low-income groups is only half of that in high-income groups,” she said. “Low-income groups mostly eat lean fish with lower levels of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as vitamins B12 and D. Thus, interventions aiming to increase oily fish consumption, especially in deprived communities, represent a key strategy to reduce health inequalities in the U.K. food system. Developing innovative healthy seafood products may nudge ‘new’ consumers toward increasing fish intake.”
The report explains that diversifying the intake of seafood consumed could also make the U.K. seafood supply chain more resilient by mitigating the effects of external economic events, such as pandemics, extreme weather events, and supply chain disruptions. It also suggests the country’s heavy reliance on imports for consumption leaves it open to risks such as changes in trade agreements and tariff policies.
Results from this research have already been shared with Scottish Government policy teams and with key stakeholders like the Marine Directorate and Food Standards Scotland. The U.K. government’s Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has also shown an interest in the data, de Roos said.
