Let’s eat more fish!

Iceland’s Public Health Institute says fish consumption in Iceland has decreased by 30 per cent over the last decade.

To reverse this trend, a campaign to boost fish consumption was launched this week.

The health institute and the Association of Boat Owners in Iceland are cooperating on the campaign, which is called “Eat more fish.”

The campaign’s goal is for every home in Iceland to have fish for dinner at least two times a week.

As an additional encouragement, a pamphlet with 20 different seafood recipes is being distributed to all Icelandic households.

Anna Elísabet Ólafsdóttir, the director of the Public Health Institute, said the youngest generation – and particularly girls – consumes surprisingly little fish.

Ólafsdóttir said on average 15-year-old girls eat only about 15 grams of fish a day. That equals one mouthful, or one fish dinner every ten days, which calls for action, Ólafsdóttir said.

The consumption of fruits and vegetables in Iceland is among the lowest in Europe. Fish, lamb, milk and potatoes have always been the mainstay of the diet.

However, fast food franchises are popular in Iceland, where a high percentage of household income is spent on convenience foods. In one instance, a new American pizza franchise set a company-wide sales record in its first week of operation in Iceland.

With these changes in diet, obesity is on the rise and a recent study of nine year-old children shows that the mean body mass index has increased from 16.5 to 17.7 since 1958.

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