Consumers urged to Buy Blue to protect their chippy favourites

Fish and chips are the heroes of a national campaign this month which calls on their millions of lovers to ‘Buy Blue, Protect Dinner’ to ensure this long-loved dish stays on the menu for many dinners and generations to come.

The Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) Sustainable Seafood September, now in its sixth year, urges consumers to only order fish carrying the blue ecolabel to preserve stocks of their favourite species like cod, haddock, hake and pollock.

The campaign comes as more fish and chip shops around the UK have become certified as sustainable to the MSC Chain of Custody Standard. The National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) has recently set up an MSC Group Certificate to facilitate fish and chip shops achieving MSC certification, enabling more shops to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable seafood.

Meanwhile, a new poll from the MSC to mark its annual campaign has revealed that almost two-thirds of Brits of all ages (63%) say nothing beats fish and chips, making it the nation’s go-to favourite seafood dish. But sustainable options are key as a quarter (26%) of all Brits say they are trying to live more sustainably, to help protect the oceans.

While four in ten (43%) say they would be upset if they couldn’t get hold of their favourite fish because it was no longer available due to overfishing.

Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, says: “We are delighted to be working with MSC and offering the ability for fish and chips to become MSC certified. This shows the commitment of the fish and chip industry to minimising its impact on the environment and taking the steps needed to ensure fish and chips will be on the menu for many years to come.”

One chippy making it easy for its customers to protect the future of our national dish is The Bay Fish & Chips in Stonehaven, where the only fish on the menu is MSC haddock, brought ashore just 50 miles up the road in Peterhead.

Owner Calum Richardson believes wholeheartedly in sharing that provenance with his customers, fixing an MSC blue ecolabel on each box of fish and chips as they’re filled to the brim, and features the name of the individual boat that caught the haddock on the menu.

Calum is convinced it’s worked as an effective marketing as well as educational tool. He says: “Folks get excited by it, especially the non-regulars. It’s always a talking point when we put the sticker on the box and communicating that story within hospitality and engaging the customer is halfway to them enjoying the product. It also makes them know that we care.”

Around 700 miles southwest of Calum’s Aberdeenshire shop, Pete Fraser shares the same dedication at Harbour Lights in Falmouth, which features prominently in the MSC’s ‘Buy Blue, Protect Dinner’ campaign throughout September.

As well as helping him reach out to a younger, environmentally engaged audience, especially Falmouth’s university students, Pete is convinced the blue MSC ecolabel has boosted business in another significant way.

“Apart from sending a really good message to my customers and helping me sleep at night, being MSC certified has helped attract the best staff too as it helps them know their employer gives a damn,” says Pete.

As is common across the south of England, the vast majority of Pete’s customers opt for cod,  although his personal favourite is Cornish MSC hake, landed pretty much on his doorstep. While still a less popular cousin to customer favourites cod and haddock, sales of hake have surged in recent years.

MSC ambassador and founder of Rockfish restaurants Mitch Tonks says: “Hake’s juicy, thick white flakes seem to work on all menus from Michelin-starred eateries to a chippy and I think having MSC certified status has really helped its growth in popularity.”