Seafood Goes to School
“Back in the day,” when the Catholic church recommended its members refrain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent, you did not have to wonder who in the school cafeteria was of that faith; they were the kids looking dubious and slightly unhappy as they vacillated between over-fried, over-breaded fish sticks or milky white indiscernible fish stew to escape the brown bag offering of yet another canned tuna sandwich.
Luckily, times have changed, at least when it comes to seafood fare in schools. Many now offer students of all ages and backgrounds healthier, tastier, affordable options.
Below are some of the trends that have led academia to take a fresh approach to seafood.
Earning Top Honors
Given today’s focus on healthier eating, for most people, especially younger generations, incorporating more fish into their diets is a no brainer. Nearly every variety of seafood is high in Omega-3, low in saturated fat (bad cholesterol), high in unsaturated fat (good cholesterol), and full of vitamins and essential minerals. Further, students are far more aware of the potential health dangers of being overweight. Weighing in with all these nutrients at only 300 calories per a 3 ounce serving of Branzino or a mere 159 calories for the same size portion of calamari, for example, seafood is rapidly becoming a MVP in high schools and colleges worldwide.
Let Them Eat Fish
There are more than one billion pescetarians in the world, according to The Pescetarian Society, while a 2020 U.S. study by YouGov found 3% of surveyed adults are pescetarians, who derive their protein intake almost exclusively from seafood, with a majority being under 30. Meanwhile, a study of diet trends in the UK predicts the number of pescetarians will jump a whopping 67% to 3.6 million Brits by the end of 2020. These numbers stem from health as well as economic reasons, since seafood can be significantly less expensive than meat in many areas. This increased demand is leading more schools worldwide to add fish to their menus, in part to mirror what students are accustomed to eating at home. This could be especially true once schools fully reopen for in-person classes after months of students enjoying more affordable, home- cooked seafood meals.
From Cafeteria to Food Court
Anyone who has visited a college campus in recent years knows that the days of the long, dreary cafeteria lines serving mounds of clumpy mashed potatoes and mystery meat covered in dense gravy are long gone, replaced by food courts with a vast array of stations and selections. Fueled in part by competition for diners’ dollars, this allows outside vendors to serve up a wide variety of delectable ethnic seafood dishes. Some of the fixings are so tempting that they are enough to make a school attractive to prospective students and their parents and even attract diners from outside the school’s hallowed halls.
A+ in Sustainability
More than ever, students of all ages care about the environment and want to know their food is being sourced responsibly and sustainably. It has become so important that an increasing number of academic institutions now include the sustainability of their dining options in their marketing to help attract students. Wild-caught and aquaculture-raised seafood is watched and regulated for sustainability and safety by numerous U.S. federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Given this strict oversight and increasing popularity, fish and other forms of seafood is graduating magna cum laude on campus menus and earning top grades from school administrators and students alike.