norwegian seafood provides 37 million meals every day · - the norwegian model of seafood...
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Norwegian seafood provides 37 million meals every day
Nov 19, 2019 14:04 UTC
More seafood is the answer to future foodsecurity – but we are not eating enough
Managed responsibly, the oceans can provide over six times more foodthan it does today, a new report shows.
The report was presented at a UN conference about sustainable fisheries inRome today and is the first in a series of 16 blue papers from the High LevelPanel for a sustainable ocean economy.
The main conclusion from the report is that if wild fisheries and aquacultureis managed in a sustainable way, the oceans could provide over six times
more food than it does today. This represents more than two thirds of theworld’s future protein needs, and with a much lower carbon footprint thanmany other foods. Sustainable marine aquaculture – or mariculture – ishighlighted as the area with the most potential for growth.
- This is yet another report where seafood is hailed as the answer to bothenvironmental and public health challenges, and presents huge potential fora sustainable and transparent seafood industry, says Renate Larsen, CEO ofthe Norwegian Seafood Council.
Other reports pointing to seafood as part of the answer:
• An edible solution to the climate crisis• 2019 Coller FAIRR report ranks Norwegian salmon most
sustainable among world’s largest protein producers• Ocean farming can help preserve global ecosystems
An edible solution to the climate crisis- In a world where consumers are more and more concerned aboutenvironmental issues and the vegetarian wave is gathering pace, we all havea responsibility to speak up for seafood as part of the solution, says Larsen.
The growing body of scientific evidence highlighting the need to producemore food from the oceans, to address the climate crisis and future foodsecurity, resonates well with consumer trends.
- Food safety and sustainability are growing concerns for seafood consumers.People increasingly want to know where their food comes from and that it isproduced in the most sustainable manner possible. We are moving away fromresponsible and transparent production being a nice to have, and into a worldwhere it is a necessity to be able to prove it and speak up about it, saysLarsen.
Only half of the respondents in the 2019 NSC Seafood Consumer Indexreported eating recommended amounts of seafood. The study is the world’slargest seafood consumer study, mapping preferences and trends amongmore than 25,000 respondents across up to 25 markets annually.
- Our studies show that only half of us eat recommended amounts of seafood
and consumption is declining in many developed markets. That is worrying,and needs to be addressed by health authorities, retail and seafoodproducers. Not only for our own health, but also for the planet, says Larsen.
A global leader in sustainable seafood productionNorway is the world’s second largest exporter of seafood, providing 37million daily meals of seafood to 146 countries across the globe. Responsiblemanagement of our precious resources is at the very core of the Norwegianseafood industry.
- The Norwegian model of seafood production is often acknowledged as bestpractice, and we are renowned across the world for the sustainablemanagement of wild fisheries and responsible aquaculture production. Bychoosing seafood from Norway consumers can be assured they are eatingsome of the most sustainable and highest quality seafood there is, saysLarsen.
Read more about Seafood from Norway.
About the reportThe 1st of 16 Blue Papers: “The Future of Food from the Sea”:
How we feed a growing global population in a way that is nutritious,sustainable and economically viable is an increasing challenge.
• This Blue Paper confirms the importance of ocean foodproduction systems in global future food and nutritional security.
• Through smarter management of wild fisheries and thesustainable development of marine aquaculture (mariculture),the ocean could supply over six times more food than it doestoday, while helping restore the health of ocean ecosystems.
• Advances in ocean production can only be achieved with aconcurrent focus on addressing threats to ocean health, such asclimate change and overfishing.
• The ocean plays an important role in global food provision andhas the potential to play a much more significant role throughincreased mariculture (i.e. aquaculture that occurs in the sea)production, and to a lesser extent, traditional capture fisheriesproduction.
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Significantly expanding fed mariculture (i.e. mariculture ofspecies that rely on feed inputs for nutrition, such as finfish andcrustaceans) in a sustainable way is possible but will requiremajor innovations in feed so production is not limited by capturefisheries.
• Under optimistic projections regarding alternative mariculturefeed innovations and uptake, the ocean could supply over sixtimes more food than it does today (364 million metric tons ofanimal protein). This represents more than two-thirds of theedible meat that the FAO estimates will be needed to feed thefuture global population.
• While the supply of food from the sea can expand significantly,demand for these products will depend on prices, consumerpreferences, income and national and local capacities toimplement novel management approaches.
• Food from the sea provides essential vitamins, minerals, longchain omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients not found in plant-source foods or other proteins.
• Aquatic animals have yet to be farmed on the same scale asterrestrial animals, the potential to scale production is enormous.
Read the full report here: www.oceanpanel.org/future-food-sea
The High Level Panel is led by Norwegian Prime Minister (PM) Erna Solbergand consists of 14 leaders from ocean nations across the world, such asCanadian PM Justin Trudeau, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and Portuguese PMAntonio Costa. The full report on sustainable ocean economies will bepresented at the UN Ocean Conference in June 2020.
The Norwegian Seafood Council works with the Norwegian fisheries andaquaculture industries to develop markets for Norwegian seafood through localmarket intelligence, market development and reputational risk management. TheSeafood Council is headquartered in Tromsø and maintains local representativesin twelve of Norway's most important international markets. The Norwegianseafood industry finances the activities of the Norwegian Seafood Council via atariff on all Norwegian seafood exports.
The Norwegian Seafood Council is a public company owned by the Ministry ofTrade, Industry and Fisheries.
Contacts
Chris GuldbergPress ContactCommunications [email protected]+4792810707
Anette Grøttland ZimowskiPress ContactHead of International [email protected]+47 919 13 865