Many of the U.K.’s leading seafood companies are pre-competitively banding together to push for stronger policies and initiatives that encourage the British public to eat more fish and shellfish.
To discuss how best to promote this goal, the U.K. Seafood Federation (UKSF), which launched in January of this year, recently held its inaugural conference, “How to turn the dial on U.K. seafood consumption,” in London.
The event brought together industry leaders, stakeholders, and investors to outline a coordinated approach aimed at addressing drops in national seafood consumption.
UKSF Chair Simon Smith, who is also the vice chair of Sofina Foods Europe, stressed the need for a unified message and political backing, especially as the U.K. government is in the process of developing the next iteration of its food strategy, “The Good Food Cycle.”
According to Smith, the country’s seafood industry needs active government support in promoting the fact that two portions of seafood per week are recommended by the National Health Service (NHS), which places a particular emphasis on schoolchildren.
“Seafood is particularly good for children and young people – both for brain and physiological development. We need to form healthy food habits early, and this means making seafood a regular part of their diet,” Smith said.
However, Smith acknowledged the inherent challenges in increasing consumption, noting that public awareness of the “two-a-week” guideline has been longstanding but that much more momentum is needed to translate it into real dietary change.
“It’s hard to achieve, but there is now an opportunity to give this message weight and substance, similar to the successful ‘five-a-day’ fruit and vegetable campaign,” he said. “There’s a real impetus in U.K. seafood. We will make change, and we will influence the government to help remove barriers and stimulate the activity required to do this. We’ve got to make them stump up against the things they’ve said.”
New England Seafood CEO Dan Aherne also emphasized the importance of consistent, industry-wide messaging in establishing a campaign.
“We’ve got to lead and drive this. No one is going to do it for us,” he said. “Policies aren’t currently joined up. People receive advice about seafood consumption, but unless the journey is facilitated early – particularly in schools – we won’t form good habits. By focusing on a few high-impact, pre-competitive initiatives, we can really move the dial.”
The UKSF’s approach toward increasing consumption has been reinforced by the insights of Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of Bramble Partners and author of the U.K.’s National Food Strategy.
“Seafood has always faced challenges. People don’t always understand quality differences, it can be more expensive than other proteins, and many aren’t confident cooking it,” he said. “But, change is possible. In schools, within existing budgets, we’ve already seen quality fish served effectively. I've seen it in households, too. It’s about how you as an industry change perception. I think a lot of it is about convenience and price and how you as an industry break through those barriers.
Launched early this year to provide a united voice for the country’s seafood processors and traders in engaging policymakers, media outlets, and the nation’s consumers, the UKSF has established key pillars to guide its work, including advancing industry skills and talent, reinforcing sustainability and ethics, protecting trade flows, and strengthening communication and engagement with the public.
Smith said that the direct involvement of industry CEOs and senior leaders has been central to the federation’s early progress in these areas.
“The energy in UKSF is huge. The hope is that, over time, more companies will see the benefits and buy into what we’re doing,” he said. “The more aligned we are as an industry, the greater the impact we can make on consumption trends.”
Aherne added that this alignment will allow the industry to capitalize on broader consumer trends.
“We've got a really good chunk of industry involved, and the hope is that more people will see and buy in to what we're doing. I think the more joined up we are as an industry, the more likely we are together to capitalize on the opportunity that's in front of us,” he said. “We can only be joined up on stuff that's pre-competitive, but there's enough big stuff that we all want to do that is pre-competitive. The more organized we are on those few big things that will really move the dial, the more likely we are to be successful. We need to focus on a few things and do them really well, and through that, we should be able to drive seafood consumption. That's ultimately where the energy is.”
Beyond nutrition, the UKSF aims to highlight seafood’s environmental benefits to the public.
“Seafood is one of the lowest-carbon, lowest-water-use protein sources available,” Aherne said. “Most deforestation supports land-based proteins. This is a powerful story, yet consumers largely aren’t aware of it.”
UKSF also plans to address lingering barriers and misconceptions.
“We want to put a positive message out there without ignoring the challenges the industry faces,” Aherne said. “Seafood can be healthy, sustainable, and delicious; that’s the story we need to tell and the connection we want to build with consumers.”
