KANSAS CITY, MO. - The Scientific Report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Action Committee recommends that individuals should consume seafood twice per week. But did you know that only one in five adults and 6% of children meet this recommendation?

The committee also notes that intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, from food sources such as seafood, lowers blood triglycerides, and in adults, is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, many types of fish and seafood offer a variety of important nutrients including calcium, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids and high-quality protein. 

September is Family Meals Month, and we want consumers to feel empowered to feed their families seafood. Because seafood provides health benefits for the whole family, we want to help you educate retailers about the nutrition of seafood, as well as increase consumers’ confidence in purchasing seafood and cooking it at home for their loved ones. 

As family members cook more at home, eat more with family members and increase their desire to provide healthy meals to loved ones, seafood is a great protein for retailers to promote. For retailers, getting seafood-resistant families to purchase seafood might take a little effort, but here are some creative options retailers can share with shoppers:

• Start with a milder flavored fish, such as Norwegian cod or haddock. The less intense flavor will help families ease into their seafood habit.
• Allow kids (and others!) to create their own meal. Use a simple, yet innovative, Foil-Baked Norwegian Salmon as inspiration and encourage consumers to try this at home. Providing shoppers this recipe and family activity encourages seafood purchases for those tasked with feeding a family. These aluminum foil treasure boxes are a popular way to introduce kids to seafood in Norway. Through their kindergarten programs in Norway, they allow kids to choose the fish, the vegetables and their sauces of preference. The fish and the vegetables are presented as small cubes to be both bite-sized and better for the foil treasure boxes. After selecting their ingredients, kids wrap it all together in the aluminum foil and put it on the barbecue with careful assistance. Suddenly, kids have a meal that they have chosen and cooked themselves – and they love it!
• Encourage consumers to offer fish as one of several different dinner options to include in a build-your-own burrito bowl. This would allow each family member to make their meal with their choice of protein, beans or some combination. This encourages family members to try something new while also including their usual favorites.
• Educate consumers on the spices and flavors that complement seafood. By arranging a display that includes the kid-friendly spices, seasonings, sauces or marinades near the fish, this makes their mealtime simple. If their family, and especially the kids, enjoys a meal such as chicken parmesan, encourage them to create cod parmesan.

Fish is best known for being a source of healthy fats and high-quality protein, but Norwegian seafood contains several beneficial nutrients, including vitamins A and D, B vitamins, selenium, iron and iodine, which makes it the perfect center of plate or ingredient in a family-favorite during Family Meals Month. 

Seafood from Norway is here to help educate consumers about the benefits and safety of Norwegian seafood, help ease their worries about cooking seafood and ultimately help the public get the recommended two weekly servings of seafood. It is a safe, sustainable and nutritious solution for families, and can help bridge the gap in consumers’ diets nutritionally. 

This story was featured in the September edition of Supermarket Perimeter. Click here to view the whole issue.