# Using Expert Elicitation and Systems Mapping to Support Social Innovation in the (Blue) Food System: The Case of the UK's Plymouth Fish Finger

## TL;DR

This paper explores how systems thinking and expert input can support social innovation in the UK's blue food system through a local fish finger project.

## Contribution

The study introduces a validated causal loop diagram to guide policy and practice for blue food system transformation.

## Key findings

- A causal loop diagram with 49 elements and 130 links revealed key feedback loops in the blue food system.
- Six themes emerged, including demand generation, supply chain constraints, and social innovation.
- The approach enabled identification of policy and practice interventions to support system transformation.

## Abstract

The imperative for food system transformation is well known, yet to date there has been minimal emphasis on the blue food system [foods sourced from marine and freshwater environments]. Generally, a food systems approach should shift away from linear and move towards more systems thinking to embrace complexity. This paper focuses on a local social innovation project (Plymouth Fish Finger (PFF)) which has pioneered localising the blue food system. This study aimed to elicit how the (policy and practice) system around the PFF can be appraised to optimise social innovation practices for (blue) food system transformation.

Expert elicitation combined with group model building (GMB) to co‐create and validate a ‘Causal Loop Diagram’ (CLD) to visually understand the policy and practice implication and needs of the PFF initiative. Purposive sampling to recruit a range (n = 14 total) of experts representing the different parts of the system. Two ‘mapping’ workshops (one face‐to‐face, one online) facilitated elicitation of expert input into the process to enable establishment of a final synthesised systems map for critique and validation.

Hand‐created maps evolved into a validated CLD, containing 49 elements connected by 130 causal links and 5 feedback loops. These loops revealed how demand generation, supply chain capacity, economic viability, trust and product consistency, and infrastructural constraints, reinforce or balance system performance. Six themes emerged: (i) demand generation, (ii) supply chain constraints, (iii) economic viability, (iv) social innovation and trust, (v) nutritional guidance and (vi) unintended consequences. The CLD also enabled interventions to be pinpointed within a system to inform policy/practice actions for change.

We illustrate how systems thinking and expert elicitation approaches have successfully encouraged dynamic dialogue to support the identification of future policy and practice interventions. This demonstrates how social innovation projects can be championed and their powerful potential for catalysing (blue) food system transformation better realised.

Food system transformation requires a shift away from linear towards more ‘systems thinking’ to embrace complexity.This paper uses a local social innovation project (The Plymouth Fish Finger (PFF)) as an exemplar to elicit how policy and practice can be appraised to catalyse blue food system change.Expert elicitation and group model building were used to enable interactive mapping and co‐creation of a causal loop diagram which was validated by a range of blue food experts.These approaches successfully encouraged dynamic dialogue to support the identification of future policy and practice interventions.Recommendations are made for a range of policy and practice actions and future research potential.

Food system transformation requires a shift away from linear towards more ‘systems thinking’ to embrace complexity.

This paper uses a local social innovation project (The Plymouth Fish Finger (PFF)) as an exemplar to elicit how policy and practice can be appraised to catalyse blue food system change.

Expert elicitation and group model building were used to enable interactive mapping and co‐creation of a causal loop diagram which was validated by a range of blue food experts.

These approaches successfully encouraged dynamic dialogue to support the identification of future policy and practice interventions.

Recommendations are made for a range of policy and practice actions and future research potential.