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

Q: What format do you usually buy?
Product formats – the majority of fish is bought in fillet format, as skinless boneless,
skinless bone-in, or skin-on bone-in as shown in the chart.
Total Responses 278
Q: How important do you/YOUR CUSTOMERS think it is that the fish that
you buy comes from a sustainable source?
Unsurprisingly, the majority of responses were that it is either “very” or “quite”
important that their fish comes from a sustainable source, only 3% said that it is “not
very important” and none said that it is “not at all important”.
It’s interesting to see that there’s a perception that it carries less weight amongst their
customers, some stating that it is either “not very” or “not at all important” to nearly
20% of customers.
Q: Would you be willing to pay more for fish which is certified to come
from a sustainable source?
In terms of pricing, a clear majority (just over 60%) stated that they would be prepared
to pay a premium for certified sustainable product, and only just over a third would
not pay any more. However, over three quarters said that they would not pay more
than 5%. This suggests that it may be possible to charge a small premium for certified
product, but it needs to be proportionate and defensible.
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
50
40
30
20
10
0
You 73.4%
Your Customers 43.5%
You 22.3%
Your Customers 32%
You 2.9%
Your Customers 17.6%
You 0%
Your Customers 1.8%
You 0.7%
Total Responses 278
39.9% 12.2% 0.7% 8.6% 35.6% 2.9%
Total Responses 278
Your Customers 4%
You 0.7%
Your Customers 1.1%
Whole fish
Skin-on bone-in fillets
Skin-on boneless fillets
Skinless boneless fillets
Skinless bone-in fillets
(Not answered)
Very important
Quite important
Not very important
Not at all important
Don’t know
(Not answered)
Yes, I would pay up to 5% more
Yes, I would pay up to 10% more
Yes, I would pay up to 20% more
Yes, I would pay whatever it costs
No, I would not pay any more
(Not answered)
Q: Do you know the names of the organisations represented by these logos?
We then asked buyers to name the organisations represented by the (nameless) logos
of Fair Trade (as a benchmark), Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), Marine
Conservation Society (MCS), and Dolphin Friendly.
50
40
30
20
10
0
Issue 2 March/April 2012
Fewer than half were able to name Fair Trade, (although they claim to have 77%
awareness amongst UK consumers). In comparison MSC awareness at almost 22%
(compared to around 9% amongst UK consumers) is very positive. MCS awareness is
surprisingly high at 39%, but only a fifth of respondents recognised the Dolphin
Friendly logo. More than one third were unable to name any of the logos shown.
We also asked if they would display a logo or certificate that proved that their fish came
from a certified sustainable source. A remarkably high 72% said that they would, and
a further fifth said they would consider it.
This shows that there is a desire to be seen to be doing the right thing, and a potential
willingness to enter a process that would demonstrate ethical credentials, although
the majority would not be familiar with the MSC chain of custody process at present.
Q: Identify the statement which best describes your opinion about
sustainability in your industry.
Finally, we asked respondents to identify which of a series of statements about
sustainability in the Fish & Chip sector best described their own opinion.
50
40
30
20
10
0
47.8% 21.9% 19.4% 38.1% 36.7%
25.5% 42.4% 6.5% 20.1% 2.5% 2.9%
Total Responses 278
Fair Trade logo
MSC logo
Dolphin Friendly logo
MCS logo
(Not answered)
Fish & Chip shops should be leading the way and
actively buying and promoting sustainable fish
Customers want fish from sustainable sources
and Fish & Chip shops need to meet this need
It’s up to the catching industry and our suppliers to make sure that
the fish we buy is sustainable, we can only serve what is available
Sustainability does not really matter in Fish & Chip shops
None of the above
(Not answered)
Over 40% agree that there is a requirement to meet a customer driven need, and over
a quarter think that the industry should be “leading the way” in terms of their buying
and promotional activities. Only 6.5% thought that the catching industry and their
suppliers should take all the responsibility, and a significant minority said that
“sustainability does not really matter”.
Overall, these responses are further evidence that sustainability is very much on the
business agenda for the UK Fish & Chip market.
Summary & Conclusions
More than two thirds of those surveyed recognise that sustainability does matter, either
because it is a customer expectation that the industry needs to meet, or because the
industry should be taking a leadership position.
Sustainability is increasingly becoming a key factor influencing buying decisions in a
high percentage of buyers within this group. The majority of outlets would consider
paying a small premium for certified sustainable fish, although for a significant minority
of outlets price would be an over-riding factor.
Awareness of MSC and MCS is relatively high, but there is a clear need and the
potential to raise the profile of MSC. The scale of opportunity in this market in terms
of sales volume for certified sustainable products and potential consumer outreach is
substantial, and both suppliers and MSC should be further developing their plans to
realise this potential.
The NFFF will continue working closely with MSC towards making the Chain of Custody
certification a simpler and more accessible option, for those fish and chip shop
businesses who want to become involved in this process.
Please look out for Issue 3 of the Fish Friers Review when NFFF Media co-ordinator
Thomas Pick reports back from a press trip to Lofoten, Norway to see sustainable
fishing practices being implemented first-hand at the recently MSC certified North
East Arctic Cod and Haddock fisheries.
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