The benefits of seafood for kids are big! Fish and shellfish supply the nutrients, vitamins and omega-3s essential for strong bones, brain development, and healthy heart and immune system. So how do moms get their kids to eat more of this delicious, nutritious food? Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP) talked to hundreds of moms and asked top nutrition experts, retailers and chefs for their input. Based on the findings, the Little Seafoodies program was put into action with real moms to begin building lifelong seafood consumers.
This campaign is extremely important as a 2019 study from the American Academy of Pediatrics found U.S. children are not eating enough seafood and therefore missing out on the important brain health benefits.
“Sustainable seafood is a win-win: healthy for your kids, healthy for the planet,” said Linda Cornish, SNP president. “If we get kids excited about delicious seafood from an early age – and get the parents excited about the amazing health benefits – we have them hooked on seafood for a lifetime.”
The Little Seafoodies platform offers an ocean of easy tips, dozens of kid-friendly recipes, and real mom-to-mom advice, plus downloadable coupons to help make little ones little seafood lovers. It provides the health benefits for big yums and big brains, as well as tips on how to buy sustainable seafood, which is a key part of a climate-friendly diet.
SNP recently conducted two 8-week digital campaigns, in Indianapolis and in Hartford / New Haven, and is in-market currently in Kansas City and Las Vegas to educate consumers about delicious meal ideas that are healthy for their family and the health of the oceans. Using advanced digital technologies to reach moms with young kids, serving millions of impressions, messages on building Little Seafoodies are being delivered to moms’ mobile devices, social media accounts, favorite blogs and morning lifestyle shows.
The digital ads drive consumers into the store, where they will see signage, coupons, demoing and more. For example, Hy-Vee stores throughout March are displaying signage in the seafood department and freezer case that echoes messaging around “Good for your kids. Good for the planet. Serve sustainable seafood.” This is combined with an increased education effort about the store’s Responsible Choice program. In-store dietitians in select markets are offering store tours, demos and classes. This is partnered with a five-recipe spread in the Hy-Vee Seasons magazine, “30-Minute Seafood Even Kids Will Love,” plus blog posts, newsletters sent to customers and social media messaging.
“We’re proud to partner with Seafood Nutrition Partnership to empower and encourage parents to serve healthy, delicious and sustainable seafood to their families more often,” said Jason Pride, vice president of meat/seafood/delicatessen. “Hy-Vee is committed to helping families have nutritious meals, and we hope these tips, recipes, giveaways and demos make it easier for parents to share seafood options with their families.”
For more information on the Little Seafoodies program, visit littleseafoodies.com.
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