Building Blue Food Futures for People and the Planet. Report of the Blue Food Assessment.

There is growing recognition that food systems must be transformed—that achieving the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires shifting toward a system that is more diverse, resilient and just, as well as healthier. “Blue foods”—foods derived from aquatic animals, plants and algae cultivated and captured in freshwater and marine environments—have much to offer in that transformation. Thoughtful investments and policies that foster a thriving, regenerative blue food sector could help solve some of the most pressing challenges facing the world today.

As decision-makers around the world gather to chart the future of food systems, in the U.N. Food Systems Summit and in other venues, blue foods must be an integral part of decision-makers’ discussions and decisions. The Blue Food Assessment provides the scientific foundation for decision-makers to make blue foods part of an improved food system, from local to global scales, that benefits people and the planet.

This report synthesizes the key findings of the scientific papers conducted within the scope of the Blue Food Assessment and outlines their implications for food systems.