Let’s talk about food. More specifically how we, as a global society, plan to feed 8.5 billion people by the end of the decade, and nearly 10 billion by 2050, from a planet with well-documented dwindling resources. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that we are speeding towards something of a sustenance crisis in the coming years. We need to increase the provision of highly nutritious, lower impact foods to meet our global nutrition needs – and fast.
While there’s been a growing focus on regenerative agriculture and technological innovations to feed the future populous, one potential solution has been flying under the radar until recently: blue food.
A note for newcomers: when we say ‘blue food’ we’re not talking about juicy blueberries and plums, but ‘food derived from aquatic animals, plants or algae that are caught or cultivated in freshwater and marine environments’. Think this is a bit niche? Well think again, because aquaculture is the fastest growing form of food production today, and the global aquaculture market is projected to reach over $420 billion by 2030. That’s no small fry (sorry) by anyone’s terms.
Indeed, to feed our growing population, blue food is emerging as a key frontrunner. Within this, seafood aquaculture is now growing faster than wild-caught seafood, which continues to face pressure from overfishing as global demand for seafood continues to rise. With a lower carbon footprint than terrestrial-based animal protein, seafood aquaculture needs no land use for its production, doesn’t deplete stressed stocks, and provides a rich source of sustainable protein without any attendant methane emissions. ‘Slam’ and ‘dunk’, one might say. And that’s even before we include seaweed, which, alongside being nutritiously delicious, also helps with carbon removal, pharmaceuticals/ biotech and coastal resilience, no less.
So no surprise, then, that interest and innovation across the sector is rife, as witnessed at Rethink Events’ recent Blue Food Innovation Summit in London, where aquaculture producers and innovators rubbed shoulders with leading ocean investors such as Ocean 14 Capital and SWEN Blue Ocean, alongside other key figures in the marine environment. There, we discovered how established leaders across the industry, such as salmon veterans Kvarøy Arctic and sustainable aquafeed giants BioMar, are continuing to innovate and deliver the most sustainable forms of aquaculture, alongside exciting relative newcomers such as Urchinomics, which is profitably restoring kelp forests through innovative urchin aquaculture. (Seriously, check out their video; it’s a brilliant example of a truly regenerative business).
Through the Summit we got a close-up of new tech-enabled solutions, such as precision-fishing start-up SafetyNet Technologies, eco-friendly artificial reef builder ARC Marine, and ACE Aquatec. The time for innovations modernising the seafood supply chain or expanding production in a sustainable, low impact way is clearly upon us.
The bedrock of all this, though, is humanity’s reliance on a healthy marine ecosystem. And this single truth remains lost on many who have yet to fully appreciate the critical role that healthy oceans play in sustaining our entire existence. Yes, while oceans undoubtedly provide us with a bountiful source of aquaculture alternative proteins, they are also an unparalleled carbon sink and climate regulator, an enabler of our much-vaunted clean energy transition, and a provider of multitudinous innovations in blue biotech and more.
So there clearly remains a significant need for wider education around restoring ocean health and the importance of conserving and enhancing our oceans’ resources and unique biodiversity. And if we look at this through the lens of food security and blue food production, the engagement of consumers is key.
There will increasingly be a role for communications to play in helping to broaden consumer tastes and appetite for aquaculture. And it’s no small task. Perception-wise, there’s the need to address social license concerns about aquaculture that often stem from historical perceptions of poor management; there’s worries about water pollution; there’s concern around species sustainability, and unease about aquaculture’s negative impact on wild fish.
What we need are more engaging narratives about how aquaculture can help to reduce pressure on overfishing, consumers’ key bête noire. More stories that celebrate how restorative and regenerative seafood production can be done in collaboration with local and indigenous partners. Bringing to life the essential role blue foods play in the shift towards healthy, equitable and sustainable food systems, for different consumer audiences. And maybe just focusing in on the key message that, as a sustainable and lean protein, they’re simply darn tasty?
Don’t get us wrong, there’s already brilliant work being done in this area, whether we’re talking about the Blue Marine Foundation tackling overfishing, Fed By Blue’s focus on bringing stories off the water and into people’s world, or the Blue Food Assessment’s work providing the scientific foundation to inform perspectives going forward. We just need more of all of it.
And the engagement of all those in the aquaculture ecosystem is critical to this wider societal adoption. As acknowledged onstage at the Blue Food Innovation Summit, social licence and political will are key to achieving support for the blue foods industry. “We need society’s acceptance”, said one key investor. “There’s definitely a role for storytelling to help people understand this space and make it more intuitive.”
So for all those in the blue food ecosystem looking to get this narrative out to a wider audience, considering how to position your brand within the context of this space is super important. How are you communicating what you’re doing, and does your positioning need more focus?
Within your area, what audiences matter most, and do they need slightly different things? What channels are best to reach those audiences? How can you help join and shape the conversation by thinking about relevant messages, to then bring to life with examples, data and jargon-free stories? Are you present in the right arenas to give you the visibility you need to support your business growth?
At the Summit, there was much talk about collaborating across the blue economy ecosystem; building out on the communication piece with wider society is another part of that. After all, we’re in the same boat here: the goal is a healthier ocean, supporting a thriving marine ecosystem, and a more resilient, low carbon global food system. And who on earth doesn’t want that?
