CREATING FREE CUSTOMIZABLE MARKETING RESOURCES TO CONNECT PRODUCERS TO END USERS

The complexities surrounding seafood production, the short shelf life, and the diversity of species make seafood preparation daunting for most home cooks. In the United States, consumers rely heavily on culinary professionals to select and prepare their seafood for them.  This transfers the burden of sourcing safe and sustainable seafood onto the culinary professionals and affords them a great deal of power over consumption patterns in the U.S. As trendsetters, innovators, and influencers it is important to ensure that culinary professionals are well educated and knowledgeable about the safety, nutrition, sustainability, and production of seafood. To complicate the task of sourcing seafood, the modern day consumer is more in tune with the foods they consume and are more attentive to where and how the foods they eat are produced. To assist in bridging the gaps between producers and end users New York Sea Grant has been working with the National Aquaculture Association to create marketing resources that will provide producers and chefs with affordable tools to educate their buyers/patrons.

Marketing resource cards were created to provide foodservice providers with information about the origins and sustainability of targeted species. They can be used by producers to inform and educate buyers about the species and products they sell. They can also be used by the foodservice industry to market their dishes to consumers by sharing where and how the seafood they serve is produced and prepared.

Image 1 depicts one of 17 species cards that have been created to assist in marketing farmed seafood. Each card is fully customizable, allowing users to help promote their brand and adjust as needs and resources change. The cards will be available for free online as fillable PDF's, making them affordable and easy to print at home or in the office. A guide to using these resources will be presented along with the species available. Feedback on additional species resources will be encouraged and the web platform housing them will be officially launched.