IFFO’s Members webinar last month gave a refreshing perspective on the contribution of marine ingredients to the future of our global food system. With the FAO and leading scientists all agreeing on the critical role of seafood in tomorrow’s diets, it is hard to imagine the world’s population grow without making the most of marine fish and their unmatched nutritional benefits!

Fish have the ability to convert a great proportion of the protein and energy they receive from feed and turn it into human food. They need to be provided with quality feed in order to turn it into highly nutritional quality food. Feed companies have more than 1,000 different feed ingredients to choose from, with fishmeal and fish oil being considered the strategic ingredients to ensure fish growth and fish welfare through a single package of nutrients. On a global level, the volumes of marine ingredients supplied remain stable throughout the years thanks to the setting of adequate regulations and fisheries management practices. The volume of marine ingredients in aquafeed has been equally stable over the years and will, according to aquafeed producers, continue to be  an increasingly strategic feed ingredient in the future.

The feed producers make the best use of fishmeal and fish oil resulting from the abundant pelagic species that do not have a strong market for direct human consumption, as well as from by-products and trimmings. The feed producers combine them with other ingredients to feed farmed fish and other animals.

I am convinced that a win-win approach can be reached, with the oceans providing resources to feed the world and a coalition of people -including people from the industry- taking care of the oceans’ health. While the industry should be credited for creating the tools to assess and champion the sourcing and production practices within the marine ingredients industry through the third-party accredited MarinTrust programme, scientists, NGOs, the media as well as retailers should be praised for raising awareness on the regions where challenges still lie. These converging efforts are laying solid foundations for the sustainable future of marine ingredients.

IFFO's November newsletter contains the following:

• IFFO's October Webinar on 20 - 21 October
• IFFO's 2019-2020 Yearbook is out!
• Save the date of IFFO's China webinar
• IFFO shares insights on market trends 
• Solidarity and Commitment: the Peruvian fishing sector versus Covid-19
• Read MarinTrust's transition guidance for certified facilities transitioning to the new CoC Standard