UK’s chippies urged to get MSC certified.

Two of the UK’s most popular purveyors of fish and chips are calling on their industry colleagues to secure a healthy future for the nation’s favourite dish by joining them in a new group of sustainable chippies.

Millers in Haxby, near York, and The Real Food Café in Tyndrum, at the north end of the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park are two of the 17 businesses certified as sustainable to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Chain of Custody standard and showcased on the MSC’s website.

David Miller, who runs Millers with his son Nick, said: “Fish and chips is iconic. It’s the best comfort food there is. We got MSC certification in 2017 because it’s the right thing to do, it’s what people want and we need to look after fish for the future. I’d love every fish and chip shop in the country to be certified.”

Every portion of fish and chips, mostly haddock, but cod too, that Millers sells every year comes with the MSC’s easily identifiable blue ecolabel which provides customers with the guarantee that it’s been caught from healthy stocks. Each member of the team has also been trained so they can tell customers exactly where it’s from – down to the precise boat and catch location.

Sarah Heward, owner of The Real Food Café, a magnet for mountain walkers, climbers and cyclists, which sells more than 52,000 portions of fish and chips annually, says being MSC certified is in perfect keeping with the core value of the business.

“We rank the sustainability of food from the sea as absolutely crucial,” she said. “With wild haddock, that means we need to be very responsible with how it is managed and that really resonates with customers.

“It’s good for the environment and raises public perception of the industry – there is no downside to it. We are all using the same resources and need quality fish so we should invest in the future to ensure we can keep our businesses running.”

Both businesses make the most of their certification, highlighting the blue ecolabel on their menus, and showcasing it on social media.

“We are very vocal on social media,” says David.

“If you can get that generation, who are already aware of sustainability, to say to Mummy and Daddy ‘choose the MSC chip shop’ then that’s a win. It’s the right thing to do and it’s right for business.”

The National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) has recently set up an MSC Group Certificate to facilitate fish and chip shops achieving MSC certification, enabling more shops to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable seafood. Businesses interested in certifications should contact Rowan Williams from MSC UK & Ireland at rowan.williams@msc.org. The full list of certified chippies can be found here and more information about sustainable fish and chips and the stories behind them can be found here.