With three-quarters of Irish mussels produced every year being exported, Bord Bia has launched another campaign to persuade Irish consumers to eat more of the fleshy molluscs.

The food promotion agency commissioned a survey last year which showed that 51% of respondents never consider eating mussels. Another survey showed that a quarter of the population are happy to eat shellfish in a restaurant but not at home, with the majority stating they “wouldn’t know how to prepare and cook shellfish properly at home”.

The aim of the #FlexYourMussels campaign is to instil confidence in consumers and reassure them that mussels are quick and easy to prepare,.

The value of the mussels market in Ireland has increased by 21% in the past year to just over €1m, but that’s still just around 1,660 tonnes out of 15,000 tonnes produced annually.

Teresa Brophy, consumer marketing manager at Bord Bia, said: “While the export business in mussels is thriving, we want to inspire more Irish consumers to consider mussels as an everyday meal option in order to further grow the domestic market, which is already seeing positive growth since we began this campaign in 2016.

“Clearly, there is an appetite out there for Irish mussels and we will continue to educate consumers on how quick and easy mussels are to prepare at home, and encourage them to check out our website for videos on how to prepare mussels and for recipe inspiration.”

The agency has partnered with Natural Born Feeder author Roz Purcell. “The fact that mussels are a great source of quality protein, are low in fat and provide several vitamins and minerals means that they are a regular on my shopping list,” said the blogger.

Bord Bia has prepared a video collection of mussels recipes, including the classic moules marinières, chili and garlic flavoured mussels and mussels with pak choi and bean sprouts.