By: Tom Cosgrove, Manager, Program and Development, FMI Foundation

There are at least three places in every grocery store where shoppers can find quality seafood — the fresh seafood department, the frozen food aisles and the canned food area — and the Seafood Nutrition Partnership (SNP) wants food retailers to help their customers find their way to those parts of the store.

“Seafood is an important part of a family’s meal,” said Seafood Nutrition Partnership President Linda Cornish, “but many times families feel overwhelmed by having to cook nutritious meals on a tight schedule. We’re here to tell them that most seafood can be cooked and prepared in under 30 minutes.”

That’s exactly why the Seafood Nutrition Partnership is working with the FMI Foundation to get the word out about National Family Meals Month.

SNP shares the goal of encouraging families to eat one more meal together every week.

“When you cook your own meals, you know what you’re putting into your food, which is often healthier,” Cornish said, “and, if you get your kids involved in cooking, they feel proud of helping and are more likely to eat wholesome foods.”

Food retailers can go to seafoodnutrition.org to find plenty of resources to help shoppers make the right choices when it comes to deciding what to cook. Among them are a series of 12 Eating Heart Healthy recipes designed to feed a family of four for less than $10 and four cooking videos for kids — by kids.

“And we’re helping the campaign with our communications outreach,” Cornish said. “It has been featured in our e-newsletter and social media. We’re also asking our partners to engage with this campaign so it can have even a wider reach.”