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Fish friers Review - Mar / Apr 2012 - Issue 2 - National Federation of ...

Fish friers Review - Mar / Apr 2012 - Issue 2 - National Federation of ...

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THE fish <strong>friers</strong> REVIEW<br />

At the time <strong>of</strong> writing, there are only ten fish and chip shops in the UK with <strong>Mar</strong>ine<br />

Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. As the certification procedure is not that<br />

challenging, and getting easier all the time, with real business benefits to be had upon<br />

certification; the question must be asked... why have you not applied yet? Great work<br />

is going on behind the scenes between the NFFF and MSC to make the process easier<br />

so now is the time to take steps to a sustainable future.<br />

Perceived Value<br />

We found MSC certification to be a fantastic marketing tool. Their ecolabel (that you<br />

need certification to display) is getting to be well known by the general public and you<br />

see more and more MSC fish in the frozen food cabinets <strong>of</strong> all the leading<br />

supermarkets. To be able to have the MSC logo on your menus, shop window, website<br />

etc. is a great plus. It adds perceived value in the eyes <strong>of</strong> your customers, by adding<br />

to their feel-good factor when munching your fish and chips. Plus the wonderful thing<br />

is that there is only a minimal additional cost to you <strong>of</strong> purchasing MSC fish compared<br />

to non-MSC. For you to benefit from being certified, the chain needs to be complete<br />

from the sea to the final consumer. The fishery, the wholesaler and you all need to be<br />

certified – but many fisheries and suppliers already are so you may be just the last link<br />

in the chain.<br />

MSC fisheries grow in number every year and there are numerous UK national<br />

wholesalers that are MSC certified, we buy from Fastnet and Smales, but there are<br />

lots and lots more, please check out the “Find a supplier” section on the MSC’s<br />

8<br />

A Shining Light<br />

As current holders <strong>of</strong> the <strong>National</strong> <strong>Fish</strong> & Chip<br />

Award’s ‘Good Catch’ Award, Peter Fraser <strong>of</strong><br />

Harbour Lights in Falmouth knows more than most<br />

when it comes to the benefits <strong>of</strong> sourcing<br />

sustainable seafood. We hear from Peter on how<br />

achieving Chain <strong>of</strong> Custody is helping his business<br />

Richardson’s <strong>Fish</strong> Bar<br />

Richardson’s who already have<br />

a reputation for serving<br />

excellent quality fish were keen<br />

to source sustainable Cod and<br />

Haddock while maintaining the<br />

highest possible quality. By<br />

working directly with their<br />

network <strong>of</strong> trawler owners,<br />

Smales were able to provide the<br />

solution, sustainable MSC<br />

certified frozen at sea Cod and<br />

Haddock, caught within the deep clean waters <strong>of</strong> the Barents Sea.<br />

Chris Richardson, owner <strong>of</strong> Richardson's <strong>Fish</strong> Bar said “It has been a worthwhile<br />

process to get MSC accreditation, we wanted to demonstrate our commitment<br />

to sourcing only the best quality fish from sustainable stocks and we are pleased<br />

that Smales are able to help with our sourcing <strong>of</strong> MSC approved Cod &<br />

Haddock.”<br />

If you would like to know more about availability <strong>of</strong> MSC Frozen at Sea Cod &<br />

Haddock please contact Lewis Smales on 01482 324997 or email<br />

lewis.smales@smales.co.uk<br />

Rock<strong>Fish</strong><br />

Dartmouth’s Rock<strong>Fish</strong> Seafood & Chips, owned by food writer and restaurateur<br />

Mitch Tonks and business partner and long term friend Mat Prowse have now<br />

achieved MSC certification. Rockfish will be <strong>of</strong>fering its customers certified<br />

sustainable Norwegian cod and haddock as part <strong>of</strong> its everyday menu.<br />

Mitch Tonks explained: “Everyone in the seafood industry is aware <strong>of</strong><br />

sustainability and the issues surrounding it. We are fortunate to be able to buy<br />

Peter (far right) and members <strong>of</strong> his<br />

team proudly display the ‘blue tick’<br />

Sustainability<br />

Special<br />

website: www.msc.org. You would have no difficulty in sourcing MSC Cod, Haddock,<br />

Hake, Prawns and Salmon but the list increases all the time.<br />

Has being MSC certified helped my business?<br />

Definitely a big “Yes”. Let’s get specific:<br />

4 What a fantastic PR story it will be for your shop. Was for us, even got invited in to<br />

Radio Cornwall to talk on air about sustainable fish & the Harbour Lights<br />

4 Your shop will have a USP (Unique Selling Proposition) that your competitors are<br />

unlikely to have. You are likely to have always had a quality product but now you<br />

have a bit more to <strong>of</strong>fer. You have more ability to walk away from local price wars.<br />

4 The 15 – 25 age group “get” the environmental message a lot more than us old<br />

timers. They are the future <strong>of</strong> your business.<br />

The last two years, sales at the Harbour Lights have increased by 15% p.a., despite a<br />

major celebrity chef opening a fish and chip shop 200 yards from our front door. Yes,<br />

I think going fully down the sustainable fish route is a good idea.<br />

If you would like to discuss anything regarding sustainable fish or MSC certification,<br />

I would love to help, please contact me on pete@harbourlights.co.uk or<br />

07971 653013.<br />

Peter Fraser, Owner, Harbour Lights www.harbourlights.co.uk<br />

3 more chippies lead the way to a sustainable future<br />

MSC have had a busy start to the year as three more fish and chip shops have achieved chain <strong>of</strong> custody<br />

STOP PRESS<br />

direct from our local market in Brixham where the<br />

fishery is extremely well managed. We don’t land a huge<br />

amount <strong>of</strong> cod and haddock locally and I wanted our<br />

supply <strong>of</strong> these species to be the best around to match<br />

the quality <strong>of</strong> the local fish. That meant it had to be<br />

sustainable and line caught, my search took me to<br />

Norway where I believe we found the best fish in the<br />

world <strong>of</strong> its kind. I am really proud to be able to <strong>of</strong>fer<br />

our customers a sustainable choice <strong>of</strong> seafood.”<br />

The Big Blue<br />

Cheshire fish and chip fans have reason to celebrate as fish and chip shops in<br />

Wilmslow and Grappenhall have become the first in the county to achieve<br />

<strong>Mar</strong>ine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. The Big Blue chippies now sell<br />

fish from an MSC certified sustainable source with cod and haddock soon to<br />

join MSC certified South Africa hake on the<br />

menu. All <strong>of</strong> these feel-good fishy suppers carry<br />

a blue MSC eco-label next to them on the menu.<br />

Proprietor Phil Geary explains: “We take pride<br />

in making sure that our customers have the best<br />

choice <strong>of</strong> fish available to them. We felt it was<br />

the correct thing to do to make a positive<br />

contribution to the future <strong>of</strong> fish stocks by<br />

undertaking <strong>Mar</strong>ine Stewardship Council<br />

certification to show our customers that the fish<br />

& chips that they buy from us come from a<br />

certified sustainable source.”<br />

The NFFF would like to congratulate all <strong>of</strong> these<br />

forward thinking chippies for leading the way<br />

The Chip Box, in Stewarton, Ayrshire, is now the latest fish and chip shop to gain chain <strong>of</strong> custody.<br />

Full story next issue!

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