Experts to focus on how seafood can save thousands of Australians from premature death
Monday 30 October 2006 INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED experts on public health will gather in Sydney to examine how seafood can save tens of thousands of Australians from premature death.
These five experts will participate in two half-day workshops on Monday, November 13, organised by Seafood Services Australia and hosted by the Sydney Fish Market, to examine the health benefits and risks of seafood consumption. The workshop follows an international one-day workshop held in Cairns in July, which brought together some of the world’s leading nutrition and health researchers and seafood industry participants.
It stimulated valuable debate, provided fantastic ideas and led directly to the formation of a new global “Good News” network. The Sydney workshops will examine the latest Australian and overseas research, into the health benefits and risks of seafood, plus how information can be communicated effectively to the general public.
Effectively communicating this information could yield huge benefits for health outcomes in Australia, according to Mr Roy Palmer, Deputy Chairman of Seafood Services Australia (SSA).
“Governments in Australia could save thousands of lives and hundreds of millions of dollars every year in health care costs by encouraging everyone to eat seafood two to three times a week,” Mr Palmer said. “We know that eating two to three seafood meals every week, especially oily fish high in Omega-3s, would reduce the incidence of heart disease substantially, and have other major health benefits as well.”
“These SSA workshops will take a realistic look at the health benefits versus the health risks of eating seafood. “Research here and overseas establishes well and truly that the benefits far outweigh the risks but the workshop will examine the evidence for that conclusion and, just as important, look at how to get the message across to the Australian public and help save lives.”
Mr Palmer said this "Seafood for Life 2006" workshop would help shape the seafood industry's future by examining the latest research results from Australia and around the world on the health benefits and risks of eating seafood -- and how to communicate this information to the general public. “It has been established that the health benefits far outweigh the health risks, and that increased consumption of seafood would benefit the health of the Australian public.
Why? What are the benefits and risks? And how can this information be communicated to the general public effectively. “This workshop is a ‘must do' for seafood producers, processors, retailers, restaurants, researchers, government health and fisheries agencies, and anyone else interested in seafood and health. Together with an internationally-known panel of seafood health experts, participants can help shape the future of the seafood industry, as well research and communication on health and seafood.”
Speakers include: Professor Sean Strain, University of Ulster. Associate Professor Tom Ross, University of Tasmania and the Australian Food Safety Centre of Excellence. Dr Jane Allen, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Dr Shawn Somerset, Griffith University. Ms Louise Nock, Sydney Fish Market.
Two identical workshops will be conducted, one at 8.45am and the second at 1.45pm, on Monday, 13 November 2006.
The venue is the Sydney Fish Market, Bank Street, Pyrmont.
(Sea Food Service Australia)