NORWEGIAN SEAFOOD COUNCIL LAUNCHES SUSTAINABILITY HUB FOR FISH AND CHIP SHOP OPERATORS

The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) is launching a new sustainability hub featuring resources for fish and chip shop operators.

Following the recent launch of its educational video series, the NSC has created a dedicated digital resource hub where friers can access materials to help them communicate the importance of sustainable seafood – and to show the value in every portion of fish and chips.

The Fish and Tips resource hub, www.seafoodfromnorway.co.uk/fish-and-tips has a range of materials available to download including:

Ocean-to-Plate Short Film: A short 1.5 minute film captures the nostalgia associated with fish and chips in Britain, and the importance of protecting this much-loved institution for the future. The film showcases the provenance of Norwegian cod, and the care that goes into guaranteeing its quality, taste and sustainable status. The film is available to share as a YouTube link, and is downloadable in MP4 format to use on shop screens and websites.

Fish and Tips Social Media Toolkit: Designed for busy friers who are short on time, this digestible toolkit is accessible to novice and experienced social media users alike. The toolkit features example posts and captions, hashtags, and useful tips and advice for ensuring sustainability messaging is spot on.

‘Know where your fish is from’ poster:  A printable poster for use in-shop that includes a QR code to take customers through to the Ocean-to-Plate film. There, they can discover where their fish is from, and what makes it so sustainable.

The NSC is also releasing point-of-sale (POS) including branded window stickers, bag and box stickers and A3 posters through a number of their suppliers. These resources feature a QR code which customers can scan with their smartphones, allowing them to watch the Ocean-to-Plate short origin film while they wait for their fish and chips.

The consistent messaging across these digital and physical resources will clearly communicate to customers the importance of sustainably sourced seafood, and will help to reassure them that the fish being served to them is of the very best quality.

Hans Frode Kielland Asmyhr, UK Director, Norwegian Seafood Council says:

“We’re delighted to offer these sustainability resources to talented and dedicated fish and chip shop operators across the UK. We expect them to drive engagement with customers around the issue of sustainability, and ultimately give them a greater understanding of the importance of sustainable seafood.

“We’ve already seen a shift in consumer understanding of the positives of well-sourced meat, eggs and dairy, but we’re not as far down the line with this education piece for the fish industry in the UK. It’s important that we change this.

“The more we can tell customers about where their fish is from, and the effort that goes into making sure it’s as sustainable as it can be, the greater chance we have of getting UK consumers to understand the incredible value they are getting from a portion of quality fish and chips.”

The sustainability hub and resources have been created following clear demand from fish and chip shop operators. In a research piece carried out by the Norwegian Seafood Council in partnership with the National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) it was found that 88% of fish and chip shop owners find the issue of sustainably sourced fish especially important, but the majority of them struggle to communicate this to their customers[1].

Earlier consumer research commissioned by the Norwegian Seafood Council also showed that only 24% people who regularly eat fish and chips would know what to look for in a sustainable fish offering, and 74% want fish and chip shops to do more to educate them about the sustainable credentials of the fish they sell[2].

Norway leads the world in sustainable fishing practices, and is home to the planet’s largest cod stock. Over 37m meals containing Norwegian seafood are served worldwide every day. By choosing Seafood from Norway, operators can be confident that they really are serving their customers the best quality seafood and that it’s as sustainable as it gets.

The Fish and Tips Resource Hub can be accessed here: www.seafoodfromnorway.co.uk/fish-and-tips. Physical POS can be requested from a number of distributers including Smales, T.Quality and Unique Seafood.

[1] NFFF Member Survey December 2021

[2] OnePoll Survey July 2021