Boston, MA – The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) hosted a luncheon for two dozen leaders and investors at the International Boston Seafood Show to discuss the creation of an independent, non-profit Foundation to Address Seafood Deficiency in the American Diet.
Low seafood consumption is the second-biggest dietary contributor to preventable deaths in the U.S., taking 84,000 lives each year – a toll greater than diabetes – and passionate members of the seafood community plan to join forces with public health advocates to do something about it. NFI is currently raising seed money to examine the possibility of launching an educational foundation.
“We are in the processes of identifying potential funding partners for the foundation,” said Jack Kilgore, President of Consumer Brands Division with Rich Products Corporation and Steering Committee Member for a Foundation to Address Seafood Deficiency in the American Diet. “We’re looking for others with a passion for reducing heart disease and improving brain health through inspiring Americans to eat seafood more often.”
Consumer focus groups conducted by NFI last summer showed that an important segment of consumers crave seafood and want to eat more. Most Americans agree that eating more seafood is good for their health; however, habitual eating behavior and lack of knowledge about how to buy, prepare and eat seafood hold consumers back from eating more. A Foundation to Address Seafood Deficiency in the American Diet will empower American families to meet the 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommendation for seafood twice a week through educational outreach.
“We have the perfect storm of health concerns, heightened interest in and access to food information, and the imprimatur of the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines recommendation,” said Kilgore. “Now is the opportune time to reintroduce seafood to American families and eliminate one of the top nutrition problems in the U.S.”
For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its members have provided American families with the variety of sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information visit: www.AboutSeafood.com.
Source: National Fisheries Institute
