Get the Kids Hooked on Sustainable Seafood
Wondering how to choose and introduce sustainable seafood? Melanie Agopian, Senior Director, Sustainability, Loblaw Companies Limited, shares her tips in this article.
It’s easy to do your part to help save our oceans by making grocery shopping a family activity. Our oceans are facing challenges – according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization more than 80 per cent of the world’s fish stocks are fully fished, overfished or exploited.
Many grocery stores like Real Canadian Superstore, Extra Foods and nofrills have made it easy to buy sustainable seafood for your family. Sustainable wild-caught and responsibly farmed fish means that the seafood caught or farmed can be raised through aquaculture or maintained at healthy population levels in the wild without harming the ecosystems from which they came. Look for products carrying the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ecolabel, as it indicates the seafood is certified sustainably sourced.
Get the Family Involved
If kids are introduced to fish at an early age they will be more likely to develop a love for it and will continue with the habit as they grow up. Plus, fatty fish, like wild salmon, is high in omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin D and minerals like iron and selenium. Omega-3s help support normal brain and eye development in infants and children. The best time to introduce fish to kids is as one of their first foods. Here are some helpful tips to get the kids excited about sustainable seafood!
Go “Fish” in Store!
When shopping for seafood, let the kids help pick it out. Ask the staff at your local grocery store at the fish counter to tell the kids about the different types of fish and what they taste like. Ask about the sustainable seafood policy at the store to give confidence that the fish counter is doing its part to help our oceans.
Go on a Fish Treasure Hunt
Play a game with the kids when you’re grocery shopping. Tell them to look through the seafood products in the department and find the foods carrying the MSC ecolabel on their packaging. Turning grocery shopping into a treasure hunt for sustainable choices is a great way to get the kids excited about sustainable seafood.
The Perfect Fish for Picky Eaters
If your kids have never tried fish or don’t like fish, try starting with a more mild-tasting fish like tilapia. Tilapia is great for pan frying, baking or for making your own homemade fish sticks.
Although wild salmon is high in omega-3, it also has a stronger taste. Try making kid-friendly recipes like salmon cakes with tartar or plum sauce for dipping.
Make Sustainable Seafood a Family Favourite
The best way to encourage kids to eat more fish is for you or older members of your family to eat more fish. They probably won’t eat it if you don’t, so lead by example. Have a Mexican-themed dinner night and try fish tacos as a new family favourite. Each family member can customize their taco to their own taste.
For easy weeknight fish recipes that your family is sure to love, visit www.pc.ca or www.oceansfortomorrow.ca. For more information on the Marine Stewardship Council, visit www.msc.org.
I think it is essential to feed your kids healthy foods from the time they are young, since this will not only benefit their health, but they will like all kinds of food later in live (and are likely to remain healthier as well). In my experience kids actually like a lot of different things! Thanks for the nice post!