Seafood boosted in giant project

Food from the sea and lake has a future. Seafood is nutritious and has huge potential to grow. The new initiative Blue Food - Center for Future Seafood will make Sweden a leading producer of sustainable seafood.

The largest investment to date in Swedish seafood is now being launched with funding of SEK 48 million from the Swedish Research Council Formas. The vision is for the industry to grow ten times larger than today and for the proportion of Swedish-produced seafood to double.

- Today, we import 72% of all seafood eaten in Sweden. When it comes to farmed fish, that figure is 90 percent. This is not sustainable. We must take our responsibility and increase Sweden's own supply capacity. This will also lead to increased local production and more jobs in coastal and rural communities," says Kristina Snuttan Sundell, professor at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences at the University of Gothenburg, chair of the new center.

The expansion will be made possible, among other things, through research to create better conditions for the cultivation of fish, shellfish, algae and other edible species, and by making better use of underutilized species and wild-caught fish.

- The research will address the challenges faced by the seafood industry. This increases the chances of the results reaching both the market and consumers more quickly, while contributing to more sustainable food production. For us as an innovation support actor, it is very gratifying to see so many people joining in such a broad research and innovation initiative, says Lillemor Lindberg, innovation leader in maritime industries at Innovatum Science Park.

National endorsement

Behind the Blue Food Centre is a national collection of research and innovation actors, regions, municipalities, organizations and some forty companies from all over the country.

- "It feels like this initiative is right on time. The collaboration within Kristineberg Center made it possible to gather forces and take advantage of the great interest that exists in both the public sector and the business community," says Fredrik Gröndahl, Associate Professor at the Department of Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Technology at KTH.

Climate-smart food of the future

The initiative is also about increasing consumers' ability to choose healthy and Swedish-produced seafood.

- We are seeing a trend where more people are choosing to eat more sustainably. Eating more plant-based is good, but the pace of innovation needs to increase and more consumers need to know that seafood is also a sustainable, healthy and protein-rich choice that is good for both the planet and the body," says Anders Högberg, Head of Research and Strategic Partnerships at Orkla.