Practice Note: How to stimulate short food supply chains for locally landed seafood?

In the framework of the Strength2Food project, innovation actions were implemented by Food Nation (a Social Enterprise with a vision to inspire people about good food) and Newcastle University to strengthen the development of new quality markets and short food supply chains (SFSCs) for locally landed seafood in North-East England. The pilot action involved a local restaurant, the Fish Quay, and various stakeholders within the fishing industry (fishers, fishmongers, chefs, consumers, academics, and other educational professionals). The key recommendations coming out of this pilot action are: For sector practitioners: - Focus on under-utilised, locally abundant, and seasonal fish species and promote their health benefits via social media; - Adopt market strategies to improve public perceptions and overcome consumers’ fear of unfamiliar fish and involve intermediaries like fishmongers and chefs in making seafood more attractive, palatable and convenient; - Upskill young / new entrants in the catering and hospitality industries in cooking confidently and more creatively a wider range of underutilised fish and seafood. For policy makers: - Increase public awareness of sustainable seafood consumption and seasonality issues, via educational activities and from an early age; - Support the establishment of SFSCs in fisheries and promote cultural heritage of seafood in coastal communities, while investing in infrastructure that support market operations; - Promote codes of practice that support sustainable fishing and retailing and encourage better working practices for seafood businesses and the restaurant/ catering sector.