A campaign promotes the health and environmental benefi ts of carp consumption

Carp—healthy by nature

To increase awareness among Polish consumers about the health benefi ts that derive from carp consumption and the environmental advantages associated with carp aquaculture, the Polish Carp Producers’ Organisation has launched a campaign that seeks to promote the year-round sale of carp, and to highlight the wide variety of products that are based on the fi sh.

Under the slogan “Carp— healthy by nature”, carp consumption, carp products, and carp aquaculture are being promoted in a campaign that was initiated in 2020 by the Polish Carp Producers’ Organisation. Th e organisation, which brings together 75 fi sh farms and is supported by the national Fisheries and Sea Operational Program (including funds from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund), started the second phase of the campaign in October 2021.

Eat carp—do yourself and the environment a favour

Th e aim of the campaign is to create awareness of the sustainability of carp aquaculture and demonstrate the range of carp products that are available with a view to increasing the consumption of carp. By appealing to consumers' interest in the environment and their own health, the campaign organisers are hoping the campaign will generate the response they are seeking. Th e campaign will be carried out on all the diff erent media: TV, outdoor advertising, cinema, and print. A large part of the campaign will be conducted on electronic media (search engines, social media, mobile devices, and video and audio streaming channels). Although most of the activities will be carried out in Poland, the campaign will also include international elements—such as participation in

The carp promotion campaign will use traditional as well digital media to disseminate its message. Here, a still from television.

international fairs, advertisements in the international trade press, and in airline magazines.

Th e main goal this year will be the same as it was in the 2020 campaign: to build public awareness of sustainable aquaculture and its products—carp. Carp is a natural, nutritious product with healthpromoting properties obtained from native, local ponds and it is important to promote these traits. As Dr Mirosław Kuczy ski, ichthyologist and environmental protection specialist, says, carp waits three years to reach a market size of 1.5-2 kg. Not much has changed in this respect over the last 800 years that carp has been farmed in Poland. Compared to other species of animals or birds bred to produce food for humans, this is the real, natural, and unrestricted period that the fi sh requires to reach this size.

Encouraging non-seasonal carp consumption

Traditionally, consumption of carp in Poland peaks over the Christmas period. Th e aim of the campaign is to encourage consumption through promotion in the summer months (the barbecue season) when, typically, carp is not consumed. Th e latest market research shows that 36% of carp consumers now also consider carp outside the Christmas season. Until a few years ago, carp was described in the Polish media as a fi sh associated with the past, with few prospects and negative connotations for young consumers.

Th e target group of the campaign is wide because seasonally carp is bought in Poland by over 63%