Norwegian Seafood Council rolls out fish and chip educational programme

The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) is rolling out an educational programme to educate fish and chip shop operators about sustainable fish, and to support them in communicating this to their customers.

‘Fish & Tips: A guide to sustainable frying and business', is a three-part video series designed to communicate the importance of sustainable fish and business operations. As well as exploring fish origin and produce sourcing, the videos cover topics such as oil management, sustainable staffing, and customer communication and marketing.

The videos have been created following a recent survey of fish and chip operators – carried out by the NSC in partnership with the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) – which revealed that 88% of fish and chip shop owners find the issue of sustainably sourced fish especially important, but the majority struggle to communicate this to their customers.

Additional research shows that only 24% of those who regularly eat fish and chips would know what to look for in a sustainable fish offering when visiting their local outlet. Additionally, 74% of Brits want fish and chip shops to do more to educate them about the sustainable credentials of the fish they sell.

The survey found that sustainability is an important issue: 71% of people surveyed agreed that understanding the origin of the catch from a fish and chip shop or restaurant is important to them. John Molnar, owner of the Cod's Scallops in Nottingham, who features in the videos, said: "This is all about transparency at sea, and for my business, this is an asset. For the Norwegians, their production is 100% above board. I've seen it, and I can tell you how this fish is caught and how it is processed: all caught, processed and frozen within six hours.

"This is renewable protein that I continue to feed my customers, and they want to know where it's from. They are savvy, and we made them a promise years ago that we could even tell them which vessel caught it."

Hans Frode Kielland Asmyhr, UK director of the Norwegian Seafood Council, said: "Consumers should be aware that by purchasing from a sustainable shop, they are contributing to the future of our oceans and its fish stocks.

"We're very proud of the Fish & Tips initiative. We hope it will support operators throughout the industry to consider the origin of their ingredients, while also giving their customers insight about what goes into a typical fish and chip meal."

Click here to see the video series.