Healthy diet means boom time for mussels

Mussels are being hailed as the next wonder food as sales of the shellfish have soared by nearly 20% in the last year, recent figures from the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group (SSMG) have shown.

The new trend is being accredited to consumers becoming aware of the many health benefits of eating mussels. With high levels of iron and zinc and low in calories, mussels make the perfect food for many modern day diet plans including the GI diet, Weight Watchers, Slimming World and the South Beach diet.
The SSMG co-operative production is set to reach 3,000 tonnes of mussels in the next couple of months, up from 2,500 tonnes in 2005, while research from Seafish (the Sea Fish Industry Authority) shows that the shellfish retail shares in the UK are growing at 12% year on year.
SSMG managing director Donny Gillies said,“The popularity of mussels has seen something of a revolution, cooking up a storm not only in many top restaurants but also making their way into households as well.
“With convenience and health being key requirements for food in the 21st century, mussels are living up to their growing reputation as a wonder food.
“The popularity of convenience mussel ready meals is something of a revolution as well, with many retailers sales of our products booming. As consumers’ love for fresher and more adventurous food grows, the boom we are seeing in shellfish will continue.
Although the majority of shellfish still tends to be eaten outside of the home in the UK, consumers are becoming adventurous and more people are looking to try new, slightly more adventurous dishes.
Approximately two million British households now buy mussels, which is around 8% of all UK households – an increase from the previous year when just 6.6% of households purchased mussels.