The Norwegian Seafood Council is trying to change the UK’s perception about seafood and sustainable diets
To this end, it is launching a unique three-week campaign called Sea Change in Letchworth Garden City this June.
“This is a pilot project quite unlike any other activity we have undertaken as the Norwegian Seafood Council, we have never before invested strategically in a campaign where sustainable seafood is the main focus,” said Anette Grøttland Zimowski, head of international PR at the Norwegian Seafood Council.
Strategic choice
The choice of Letchworth Garden City may seem an odd one for a seafood campaign, but Ms Zimowski believes it is the perfect base to create waves for seafood in the future of food debate.
“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,” she said.
Over the course of the three-week campaign, a range of activities will happen in the Letchworth area, touching the whole community in pubs, chippies, chef’s school, the local media and local primary schools.
The campaign will also draw on ambassadors such as Michelin starred chef Simon Hulstone and celebrity chef Lisa Faulkner, as well as leading nutritionists to drive home the importance of seafood.
Although the campaign’s main activities are in Letchworth, Ms Zimowski hopes that the Sea Change messaging will spread far beyond the borders of Hertfordshire.
Seafood makes up a very small part of most diets and in many western countries, seafood consumption is experiencing a decline.
According to the United Nations (UN), we need to produce 70% more food to meet dietary needs by 2050. Land-based agriculture cannot meet these requirements alone, so we need to look to alternatives.
Ms Zimowski said that we need to look to the oceans to meet our future global food needs - leading scientists claim our oceans could potentially produce six times more food than they do today.
For more information about the campaign and specific activities visit: http://www.seafoodfromnorway.co.uk/seachange
