School seafood programme reaches 50,000

Two-day workshops were organised for 20 high schools, and transportation provided to enable pupils from 136 primaries throughout Scotland to join in. In addition, a series of 20 one-day health & wellbeing days were organised for individual schools. 

The programme engaged directly with more than 13,500 pupils, and interacted with 12,000 children at the Royal Highland Show. A further 25,000 pupils were reached through dissemination of class projects, via assemblies and other activity.

Seafood in Schools teaches children where seafood comes from, how it gets to their plates via the wider food chain, why it is good to eat as part of a healthy diet, and what different seafood tastes like. It offers in-depth insight into fishing, aquaculture, processing, marketing, exporting, economics and transportation, and encourages pupils to consider the range of careers available throughout the industry.  

The project involves children of all ages, from nursery right up to high school leavers, including special needs.

Workshops generally comprise three different activities. The first features a display cabinet of seafood manned by a Seafood in Schools coordinator, with a guest appearance by a local fishmonger, retailer, marine scientist, fisherman or fish farmer - all of whom pass on expert knowledge during the session.  The second is a ‘come dine with me’ experience, which enables children to taste species high in Omega 3 and to learn why they are essential for good health.  A final session involves a cookery demonstration or active cooking session for pupils, depending on the facilities available.  Seafood in Schools has formally linked with the Chefs@Schools project, which assists in finding willing chefs.

Other local and national industry partners help by providing seafood for display and tasting sessions, and by maintaining contact to facilitate compulsory post-workshops projects.   

Chief executive of the Scottish Salmon Producer’s Organisation, Scott Landsburgh, said: “The Scottish Salmon Producers’ Organisation is delighted to continue to support this fun and interactive programme. It is essential that children understand from an early age that eating a healthy balanced diet and taking regular exercise can give them the best start in life.  Eating fish rich in Omega-3 such as salmon can offer many health benefits to people of all ages. We look forward to further workshops taking place later this year.”