Chefs & Sustainable Seafood

The production of seafood, captured from or cultivated in the ocean, will need to expand in the coming decades to meet population- and income-driven demand. Accordingly, there has been recent focus on exploring seafood from a wider food systems perspective. However, visions of what constitutes progress towards a sustainable food system diverge. A key underexplored actor, critical in seafood systems, are restaurateurs and chefs. Both are opinion leaders, who can disproportionally influence food systems and the general public. One notable example is the 1998 Give Swordfish a Break campaign that targeted chefs, urging them to temporarily stop serving swordfish. Over 700 chefs boycotted swordfish, which influenced several policy and management changes that purportedly contributed to population recovery. Peru provides another example, where celebrity chefs hold huge influence. A 2014 poll of likely voters revealed that 23% would have voted for Gastón Acurio for president—perhaps the perhaps the country’s most celebrated chef and known for promoting food sustainability and security. Because a large percentage of seafood is consumed in restaurants, chefs and restaurateurs (hereafter, collectively referred to as restaurateurs) can play a major role in influencing what seafood products the public consumes. In 2017, for example, US consumers spent ~$70 billion on seafood at food service establishments compared to ~$32 billion at home. Yet unlike consumers, there has been little research on the decisions and views of restaurateurs with respect to seafood sustainability.

ACS and colleagues recently published a study that explored Chilean restaurateurs’ contexts, decisions, and views on seafood sustainability. Published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, we used a mix methods approach to provide insights into restaurateurs supporting sustainable seafood. Menus in Chile are diverse and dominated by domestic and wild-caught sources. Restaurateurs are willing to participate in traceability programs, especially when it is for both sustainability and health safety reasons. But, they believe that seafood is an elite resource and high prices are inhibiting access. They also believe patrons care little about seafood sustainability yet are willing to pay a premium for it. This contradiction suggests a mechanism for activating values via situational factors. While demand and benefits for seafood traceability programs appear present, challenges threaten successful implementation. Complex socio-economic factors, such as affordability, elitism, and inequity, need to be integrated into traceability program design to contribute to the necessary transformation of seafood systems.

Exploring the context, decisions, and views of Chilean restauranters on seafood sustainability. Using a mixed methods approach, we used a menu analysis, stated-choice experiment, and perception survey to provide insights on different factors that in uence restaurateurs’ ability to promote sustainable seafood. We also explored how local context (e.g., what seafood is being served) might influence restauranters’ decision-making and views about sustainability.