Seafood and health – global challenges

The global agenda of seafood safety and health is set by WHO, FDA, EFSA and FAO. In this years Seafood and Health Conference, to be held in Bergen on 13-15 of May, key figures within these organizations will discuss challenges and opportunities in the seafood area.

Can seafood consumption help us tackle global health challenges?

Globally, governments are increasingly focused on nutrition and health. Many countries are battling lifestyle diseases, and this trend is rising. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has highlighted the importance of nutrition as one means to combat such problems, and several scientific studies have drawn our attention to the potential health benefits from eating seafood regularly.

Although seafood contains several essential nutrients, it may also contain compounds potentially detrimental to human health due to global environmental pollution. Understanding the combined health effects of these positive and negative compounds is essential in order to give consumers scientifically sound advice with respect to seafood consumption.

This conference aim to raise awareness of the potential positive role of seafood with respect to lifestyle diseases, and will also address some aspects related to seafood safety

The conference is for governmental representatives, policy makers, food authorities, the fisheries- and aquaculture industry and research scientists.

The Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs is responsible for the conference and Norway’s National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES) is responsible for the scientific programme.