Supermarket Perimeter - November 2021 - 51

The findings are based on data from the Aquatic Foods Composition
Database (AFCD), which was developed to increase understanding of
the potential nutritional benefits of aquatic foods. It is now the most
comprehensive global database of its kind, profiling 3,753 aquatic food
species and hundreds of nutrients, with important implications for
nutrition and fishery management policies across the world.
" For the first time, our study highlights the significant role of
aquatic foods in meeting the dietary needs of nutritionally vulnerable
populations, while also mitigating chronic diseases by weaning people
away from red and processed meats, " Golden added.
Other findings in the new studies include:
* Fisheries and aquaculture can play a greater role in healthy diets
and more sustainable, equitable and resilient food systems around
the world.
* Increase in demand will be largely met by an increase in aquaculture
rather than capture fisheries.
* Seafood was found to rank more highly than land animal-source
foods in terms of their nutritional benefits and potential for
sustainability gains.
* The sustainability of blue food consumption will depend critically on
which types of fish are eaten and where they are produced.
A " massive leap " for seafood
" So often overlooked as a major part of the solution, with these reports,
seafood has taken a massive leap into the immensely important
debate about our future food systems, " says Renate Larsen, CEO of
the Norwegian Seafood Council, which represents the companies
that export seafood from Norway to the US and around the world and
is committed to sustainable practices, innovative technologies and
growing US consumer demand for seafood.
Much of the increase in consumption in the coming decades could
be driven by markets in Asia and Africa, according to the studies.
But the need for increased consumption of seafood is a global one,
according to the authors, and blue foods rank higher than terrestrial
animal-source foods in terms of both nutritional benefits and potential
for sustainability gains.
" It is a massive challenge and literally presents an ocean of
opportunities but a task which also comes with great responsibility. We
must continue to evolve sustainable aquaculture practices, promote
responsible and well-managed wild-catch fisheries and ensure
consumers can make conscious and well-informed decisions about
the food on their plates, " Larsen said. " For Norway as a leading seafood
nation, we recognize the great responsibility we have to continue to
evolve our sustainable seafood industry. "
The reports provide a sound scientific foundation for the argument
for seafood as a vital part of the future food debate, but a blue foods
revolution will require more than just producing more sustainable
seafood, said Anne-Kristine Øen, US director for the Norwegian Seafood
Council.
" This insight into the future seafood market complements the strong
growth in both fresh and frozen seafood we have seen in the past year, "
she said. " With our commitment to sustainable practices and innovative
technologies, Norwegian seafood will grow along with US consumer
demand for versatile, healthy seafood. "
Top 10 seafoods
per capita
consumption, US
1. Shrimp
2. Salmon
3. Canned tuna
4. Tilapia
5. Alaskan pollock
6. Pangasius
7. Cod
8. Catfish
9. Crab
10. Clams
Source: National Fisheries Institute
The fresh fish
and seafood
market size will
grow up to 24.4
million tons
at a CAGR of
3.80% during
2021-2025.
Source: Technavio
In the wake of the recent UN Food Systems Summit and the
Blue Foods Assessment, Larsen said she would like to see more
progressive policies and visible efforts to promote sustainable seafood
consumption.
" It's been frustrating how the dietary battlelines up until now have
been very much drawn between meat and plants, leaving the immense
potential of the oceans largely overlooked. To succeed in this vital shift
toward more sustainable, bluer diets, we need action throughout the
value chain, from government to producers and retailers and all the way
to the consumer. "
supermarketperimeter.com
NOVEMBER 2021 - 51
https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataverse/afcd https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataverse/afcd https://www.bluefood.earth/ http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
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