Mini-analysis: Seafood: Considering Diet, Safety, Environment and Palate

Course Topic
Health benefits of seafood consumption including varietal, palate, safety and environmental factors.

Audience
People with an interest in food, health and the environment. A typical learner is a better-than-average home cook who also enjoys dining out. They are interested in new dishes, healthy recipes, interesting ingredients, ethnic and regional flavors. He or she is conscious of health concerns and interested in the environmental impact of menu and ingredient choices.

While not complete for a professional such as those who work in public health or professional kitchens, course design would permit such learners to quickly access the latest data to support seafood purchase decisions in consideration of overfishing, farming and contaminants. If they happened to be unfamiliar with recommended varieties, they could optionally access additional information.

Survey
Survey questions were closed-ended and included three demographic questions as well as one question regarding perceived health benefits of seafood and six questions regarding their current seafood eating habits and factors that influence their current seafood consumption. Seven participants completed the survey.

The respondents are, in total, quite similar to the target audience:

• Fairly evenly divided by gender, 57% of respondents were female
• Just under 86% were between 35 and 75 years of age
• About 71% have completed a bachelors degree
• A full 100% reported eating fish at least once a month, while only 33% eat other seafood at least monthly, others less often
• When asked if, “Some kinds of seafood has extra health benefits when compared to other foods”, 85%, six out of seven, agree or somewhat agree with this statement.

Analysis
I found that while users almost universally agree that there are health benefits to eating seafood, there is need for information on the following areas:
• Specific health benefits of eating seafood, what makes a "super food"
• Which types are considered super foods and provide the greatest benefits
• How often fish should be eaten to gain super food health benefits
• Data on which kinds of fish are easiest when you’re new to fish, mild before wild
• Farming practices and overfishing concerns including species extinction and the impact on future human generations
• Avoiding mercury and other contaminants
• Risks associated with contaminants

The real concerns and risks associated with making certain choices need to be addressed, but once the negatives are understood, significant emphasis should be made on the recommended choices for the balance of the class.

By focusing on recommended varieties that may be new to learners, including detail on flavor, testimonials, cost, recipes and pairings, participants will have the tools they need to try out the new options, and to incorporate them in their diets as well as those of their family and friends.

Last, several respondents eat seafood far less frequently than the intervals recommended for those who seek super food health benefits. I would add content that covers alternate options to gain the super food benefits associated with seafood, including other food choices as well as supplements.