At the Seafood Expo North America (SENA), I attended a conference, Increasing America's Per Capita Seafood Consumption 25% By 2023. The synopsis of the panel states: "Widespread acceptance of seafood continues to elude the industry. While consumers know many ocean-fisheries are badly depleted, with scarcities creating prices only the wealthy can afford, they’re also told that farmed fish, once considered the solution, is deeply flawed, and characterized by widespread disregard for the environment and reckless use of antibiotics. Frozen seafood isn’t considered a high-quality option either, as consumers continue to be told that nothing beats fresh. The truth about farmed and frozen seafood is a different story, a story whose widespread dissemination would get seafood moving forward."
The main topic centered on two misguided and negative consumer beliefs, concerning farmed seafood and frozen seafood. The public is bombarded with negative media stories concerning seafood, in newspapers, magazines, television, the Internet, and more. As I've mentioned before, there are about 4 times as many negative articles about seafood than positive ones. These negative views are easily remembered, playing upon the fears of the public.
In addition, there are other reasons why consumers don't eat enough seafood. Many feel it is too expensive, many feel it is too difficult to cook, and for others, it isn't part of their traditional diet. If people grow up in the middle of the country, their access to fresh seafood may be limited and thus they aren't used to quality seafood.
What many consumers need to understand that the seafood industry has been constantly trying to improve its practices, and some negative issues that might have been relevant in the past are no longer a problem. Or at least, they are not a problem for a number of fisheries, which may even be certified, indicative of their quality and sustainability.
As to frozen seafood specifically, consumers often have negative views, that it is dry, has pin bones, is more bread than fish, is low quality, and has off flavors. However, frozen seafood has seen plenty of quality improvements over the years. Frozen seafood is also looked on very positively in other places around the world. For example, it is more commonly referred to as "chilled" seafood while in Japan, they primarily eat frozen seafood.
Not all frozen seafood is the same, much dependent on the temperature you freeze it at, as colder temperatures do less damage to the cellular walls. Even the simple fish stick has vastly improved in quality over the years. There are also numerous benefits to frozen seafood, such as the of low cost of transport, traceability, consistent quality, consumer friendly, and it can be easy and quick to prepare at home.
As for aquaculture, it too gets a bad reputation, despite many technological advances in recent years. As many experts will tell you, you shouldn't think of the dichotomy of fresh vs frozen, but instead of high quality vs low quality. Not all aquaculture is the same. Just think that much of the shellfish you eat, from oysters to mussels, are farmed. In a Washington Post article, from September 24, 2013, they did a blind taste test of wild vs farmed salmon, and farmed and frozen salmon prevailed as the winners. As was stated, "Aquaculture is the future of responsible food production" though some prefer to use the term "cultivated" rather than farmed.
How do you combat all these negative media portrayals? "It will take collaboration, cooperation and consistency." First, compelling educational content to combat negative articles, which often have little, if any, scientific basis. There was also a discussion of connecting with the media, such as designing aquaculture facilities to offer media tours and being a resource for local media. It was also mentioned that the industry should create transparency videos and virtual farm tours.
Though it wasn't discussed, I think the seafood industry also needs to be more supportive of positive media articles about seafood. They need to share those articles on social media, post links on their websites, and better identify their allies in the media. Positive seafood articles can be too easily lost unless they are promoted well, so they can be used to combat the negative articles. There is plenty of "fake news" about seafood out there and we need to educate people about the truth. Both farmed and frozen seafood should not be avoided per se as there is much of quality out there, which is also sustainable and traceable.
Consumers, educate yourselves about seafood and learn the positive attributes of all types of seafood.
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