The Norwegian Seafood Council (NCS) is launching this June in Letchworth Garden City, UK, a campaign that will encourage a sea change for seafood's role in sustainable diets. The campaign is called Sea Change and will last three weeks starting on the 11th.
Anette Grøttland Zimowski, Head of International PR, indicated that NCS hasn't done in the past any other project similar to this one. "While sustainability is an important pillar of our communications, we have never before invested strategically in a campaign where sustainable seafood is the main focus."
NCS has chosen Letchworth Garden City, the first garden city in England about 45 miles from London with approximately 20,000 inhabitants because they believe "it is the perfect base to create waves for seafood in the future of food debate".
"Letchworth is a typical English town with a strong community spirit and green heritage. We wouldn't be able to pull off this project on a major scale. But we can make a big splash in a small pond. We know that Brits generally only eat about half of the recommended amount of seafood, and Letchworth will be no exception. The town is also twinned with Kristiansand in Norway, which adds that extra connection to Norway," Zimowski confirmed.
Moreover, NCS hopes that Sea Change will reach other zones of Hertfordshire. Regarding this, Zimowski added: "We would like to use the campaign in Letchworth as a springboard for making seafood more visible in the wider. Currently very polarized, debate about sustainable diets. The future of food isn't just a battle between meat and veg, there is room for blue in a green diet."
Sea Change came after the success of the national seafood educational program in Norway, Fiskesprell. The UK-based campaign is working with school meals expert Kate Snow. She will deliver seafood-themed educational cookery lessons in local schools in Letchworth.
During the campaign, several activities will happen in pubs, chippies, chef's schools, the local media, and local primary schools. Besides, Michelin-starred chef Simon Hulstone and chef Lisa Faulkner will be ambassadors. As well as leading nutritionists to drive the messaging.
"In addition, we have a whole street of families in Letchworth taking part in a challenge to increase their seafood consumption and knowledge throughout the campaign period. We are super excited to see how they get on and to learn from their experiences along the way," Zimowski celebrated.
Finally, she added: "Getting kids to enjoy fish is a key goal. It is not as hard as many think. Involving families and children, and inspiring them to learn more about cooking and why it is good for you, is key to this project."
According to NCS, seafood makes up a very small part of most diets. In many western countries, seafood consumption is experiencing a decline. On the other side, scientists have claimed that oceans could potentially produce six times more food than they do today. Thereby, we would be able to meet UN requirements of producing 70% more food to meet dietary needs by 2050.
"As a major seafood nation, Norway has a responsibility to do what it can to lift sustainable seafood into the wider food debate. The world needs to eat more sustainable foods from the oceans. We are testing out new ways of getting this message across with this campaign," Zimowski confirmed.
Furthermore, she stated: "Seafood fits perfectly with several consumer megatrends we see at the moment. Such as sustainability and health. Yet is more often than not forgotten when people talk about the foods we should be eating."
According to the NCS's annual trend report, pandemic has accelerated trends, driven innovation, and created opportunities across the seafood industry for 2022.
