While Norwegian seafood continues to set new export records, when it comes to domestic consumption, the situation is a lot less rosy. As a result, there is now a strong onus on processors to deliver the kind of new, innovative products that will encourage Norwegians to eat much more seafood, according to Veronica Pedersen Asheim, secretary of state for the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Fisheries.
At the 2018 Norwegian-U.K. Summit, hosted by the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), Asheim said that Norway, with its long coastline, is well-suited to seafood production, and confirmed that it represented one of the Scandinavian country’s leading export industries – again reaching an all-time high value of GBP 8.9 billion (USD 12.7 billion, EUR 10.2 billion) last year, based on a volume of 2.6 million metric tons (MT).
“There is no doubt that seafood is important for Norway and will continue to be so in the future. I know that the Norwegian companies here are eager to offer the British market more sustainable, high-quality seafood. However, we should all eat more seafood. It’s good for your body and for your brain. In Norway, seafood consumption is decreasing dramatically, especially among younger people," she told the audience. “I understand that you have the same challenges here in the U.K. This is sad; we need to change this pattern. We are already facing huge challenges when it comes to children’s health and well-being and this has a lot to do with what they eat.”
Asheim acknowledged that reasons for Norway’s decreasing seafood consumption among young people were “complex,” but highlighted one of the main reasons appeared to be the “misinterpretation” that fish is hard to prepare and takes too much time.
“This couldn’t be more wrong,” she said. “It is a myth and a misunderstanding because seafood can also be fast food and the children love it. We just have to convince their parents.”
To reverse the trend, the Norwegian government is supporting a number of initiatives, varying in size and scale, from institutions, organizations, companies, and individuals that want to show how to prepare good, tasty seafood.
“Norwegian government gives over GBP 1 million (USD 1.4 million, EUR 1.1 million) per year to these different kinds of initiatives," Asheim said.
The future is about finding new ways to prepare seafood for children, and there are thousands of different ways to do that, Asheim said. She further believes that seafood manufacturers have a crucial part to play and must realign their offerings with current food trends.
“The processing industry must focus and follow the minds of consumers. Make it easy to prepare, new tastes etc. in order to compete with chicken and pork at our local stores," Asheim said.
Asheim also highlighted the need to maximize the oceans’ contribution to the global food security challenge.
“The ocean plays a crucial role in providing food for a growing world population; the ocean also represents a huge opportunity. That is why we must make sure to use the marine resources sustainably. As a global, leading seafood nation, Norway has huge responsibilities: we have great ambitions for this industry, we want to continue to provide the world with more seafood, but we have to do things right – we all have to treat the oceans well and we all have to use the oceans even smarter in the future than we do today," she said. “Hi-tech in the seafood industry has been tremendous in recent years. Today, we have one of the most modern fishing fleets in the world. New and more environmentally friendly vessels are replacing older ones."
Asheim explained that international collaboration is essential to improved, sustainable management.
“Today, we enjoy the most abundant cod stock in the Barents Sea. This situation would not have been possible without the close and constructive fisheries cooperation that we have with the Russians," she said. "We will continue to work this way and to make sure that we have this cooperation in the future."
