Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Tier 4 — Narrative / commentaryPeer-reviewed

Four ways blue foods can help achieve food system ambitions across nations

Beatrice Crona, Emmy Wassénius, Malin Jonell, J. Zachary Koehn, Rebecca Short, Michelle Tigchelaar, Tim M. Daw, Christopher D. Golden, Jessica A. Gephart, Edward H. Allison, Simon R. Bush, Ling Cao, William W. L. Cheung, Fabrice DeClerck, Jessica Fanzo, Stefan Gelcich, Avinash Kishore, Benjamin S. Halpern, Christina C. Hicks, James P. Leape, David C. Little, Fiorenza Micheli, Rosamond L. Naylor, Michael J. Phillips, Elizabeth R. Selig, Marco Springmann, U. Rashid Sumaila, Max Troell, Shakuntala H. Thilsted, Colette C. C. Wabnitz

Nature · 2023

Read source ↗ All evidence

Summary

This integrative policy assessment translates findings from the Blue Food Assessment into four geographically contextualised policy objectives to guide national blue food system strategies. The analysis reveals context-specific contributions: African and South American nations may address micronutrient deficiencies through culturally relevant blue food consumption, whilst Global North nations could reduce cardiovascular disease and ruminant meat emissions through low-impact seafood. The framework identifies high-risk countries requiring climate adaptation and provides decision-makers with tools to compare benefits and trade-offs of competing policy objectives.

UK applicability

The UK, as a Global North nation with high ruminant meat consumption and associated greenhouse gas footprints, may find the framework relevant for assessing moderate seafood consumption as a cardiovascular and climate mitigation strategy. However, UK-specific nutritional vulnerabilities and regional aquaculture feasibility would require country-level application of this global analytical framework.

Key measures

Nutritional adequacy (vitamin B12, omega-3 deficiencies), environmental footprints (greenhouse gas emissions, land and water impacts), economic and livelihood contributions, climate adaptation risk

Outcomes reported

The study assessed four policy objectives for blue foods: ensuring critical nutrient supplies, providing healthy meat alternatives, reducing dietary environmental footprints, and safeguarding blue food contributions under climate change. It evaluated the relevance and trade-offs of each objective for individual countries across nutritional, environmental, economic and justice dimensions.

Theme
Policy, governance & rights
Subject
Food & agricultural policy
Study type
Policy
Study design
Policy report
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
Status
Published
Geography
Global
System type
Aquaculture
DOI
10.1038/s41586-023-05737-x
Catalogue ID
BFmou2mlyw-zsumuu

Topic tags

Pulse AI · ask about this record

Dig deeper with Pulse AI.

Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.