With the Summer holidays upon us, the Frozen at Sea Fillet Association (FASFA) is launching the #ChippyChucker campaign which aims to reduce food wastage by encouraging fish and chip shop owners to provide more portion choices to their customers.

The Seafish and Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) ‘Does Size Matter?’ Report* found fish and chip portion sizes vary hugely with 44% of fish and chip consumers saying chip portions are too big and 21% admit to throwing away some of their fish. This accumulates to approximately 18,128 tonnes of food wasted each year. With this in mind, 1 in 3 people said a greater range of portion sizes would encourage them to eat fish and chips more often.

Currently, the health agenda is of major concern to the government and subsequently it is putting customers off of eating fish and chips despite it being one of the healthiest meal options should portion sizes be regulated. The campaign aims to change this by raising awareness of health benefits and, as a result, increase trade.

Without making proportional changes to pricing, offering customers more choice when it comes to their portion sizes could help increase and generate more regular custom, helping to maximise profits while reducing environmental impact. John Rutherford, president of FASFA, explains:

"Offering a larger variety of portion sizes is beneficial to consumer health but the financial benefits to shop owners is evident as less waste means greater yield due to optimal and more efficient use of produce and less frying time.

"Research continues to show that customers are more health-conscious than ever before and lighter portion options appeal to those. With a more manageable portion, customers are able to enjoy delicious guilt-free fish and chips as a lunchtime option. Leftover food is synonymous with excess, which translates to excessive spending. Customers will feel more value for money with a portion size they can finish, prompting them to purchase fish and chips on a more regular basis, thus supporting the fish and chip economy.”

In response to this, more and more fish and chip shops have started offering a variety of portion sizes with a side to appeal to those trying to sustain a healthy diet and those with smaller appetites but can also significantly increase mid-day sales as the perfect portion size for a lunchtime meal.

Miller’s Fish and Chips was named the UK’s fish and chip shop of the year at the National Fish and Chip Awards 2018 and say that lighter portions are increasing in popularity with their customers. Co-owner David Miller said:

"People are more conscious of what they are eating these days, so we have to be in-tune with that. We can’t just keep serving big portions of fish and chips, we have to look at what we’re doing in the industry, and I think that this is a way we can really bring something different to the table by offering a lighter portion to those that are health-conscious because it roughly comes down to 500 calories.”

David’s son and co-owner, Nick, added: "because we are competing with a meal deal, like a sandwich, bag of crisps and a can of pop from the local supermarket, we’re offering something that’s freshly cooked, it is nutritious and it ticks every box. It’s safe to say that there is a demand for lighter portions. We can see now that customers will come in maybe twice a week and have two lighter portions instead of once a week and having just one regular portion of fish and chips.”

Mark Corbally of Mister C’s, Selby, who also has an extensive menu choice reiterates the Millers’ comments: "trends have changed over the last few years, people are trying to reduce their intake of calories. We saw the niche in the market that people wanted something a bit smaller and it’s just developed since then.”

Peter Calvert, also of Mister C’s, notices the impact lighter portions can have on lunchtime sales: "People come in on their lunch break from work and they don’t really want to eat a full portion of fish and chips so a light option is the place you go to straight away. It just gives us a bit more range for the customers to decide what they like. In this day and age, from what we can see, there is a massive demand for it. So that’s the best thing to do, just try it.”

Fish and chip shop owners can help support the campaign by promoting a choice in portion sizes, sharing social graphics to their social media outlets and use the hashtag to encourage their customers not be #ChippyChuckers, requesting them to do the same, tagging the shop alongside pictures of their perfect portion.

Fish and chip shop owners wishing to learn more about the advantages of offering greater portion choice and the positive impact it can have on the environment can visit the Enjoy Fish and Chips website to download their free toolkit at the following link.

Follow us on:

Twitter: @FishAndChipLove

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FishAndChipsLove/

Instagram: fishnchipslove_

*Seafish and Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) ‘Does Size Matter?’ 2016 Report:https://enjoyfishandchips.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/enjoy-fish-and-chips-report-2016-1.pdf