Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry, has announced the dates for Seafood Week – Friday 4 to Friday 11 October 2019 – and is asking UK seafood businesses to sign-up now to get involved in this year’s campaign.

Seafood Week is an annual week-long consumer campaign that celebrates all things seafood. It offers an opportunity for the industry to come together to promote the wide range of delicious produce that’s available in the UK and the benefits of eating fish and shellfish.

Government health guidelines say that everybody should eat two portions of seafood a week, but figures show that 67% of the UK population consume less the recommended amount. Seafood Week aims to encourage people to eat seafood more often – whether that’s an easy to prepare mid-week meal, a fish supper on a Friday night, a quick snack on the go or as a special treat as part of a fine dining experience.

The campaign offers a unique opportunity for businesses from all seafood sectors – producers, processers, retailers, food service providers and independents – to come together and work in collaboration on a co-ordinated campaign to promote seafood as a good choice for consumers all across the country.

Businesses that register to take part will receive a pack with further information on the campaign and additional details and ideas on what they can do as part of it. In previous years this has involved running Seafood Week events, competitions or giveaways and getting involved in the social media campaign.

Marcus Coleman, Seafish CEO said: “At Seafish we’re committed to promoting seafood as the way forward and encouraging consumers to eat more of this healthy food source, which is also one of the most sustainable proteins. We know that the nation is currently falling far short of the Government’s consumption target of two portions of seafood a week so we’re also working to address this.

“Seafood Week, which will run from 4-11 October 2019, offers a fantastic opportunity for seafood businesses to collaborate on a national campaign to promote the wonderful range of seafood available in the UK. By working together as an industry to reach as many people as possible, we can all help encourage consumers to try and enjoy more fish and shellfish.”

Businesses who would like to participate in the 2019 campaign should email the Seafish Marketing team on seafoodweek@seafish.co.uk.