Olley’s Fish Experience in Herne Hill has become the first in the UK to add a total of eight MSC certified species of fish to their menu. The fish and chip shop now offers its customers the widest choice of MSC certified fish in the country.
MSC ecolabel
Marine Stewardship Council certification allows a restaurant to use the MSC’s distinctive blue ecolabel on the menu, giving customers an independent assurance that the product is sustainably caught and is fully traceable.
Customers at Olley’s can now choose from a wide choice of fish safe in the knowledge that their purchase is contributing to the long-term protection of the world’s marine ecosystems.
In London, Olley’s is only the second fish and chip to have certified sustainable fish on its menu. By adding eight species to a seasonally-changing menu, Olley’s offers a choice which George Clark, UK Commercial Manager at the MSC, says is truly unique: “About 30 fish and chip shops in the UK have MSC certification for traditional favourites like cod, haddock and hake. Olley’s is taking a huge leap further – offering wild-caught prawns, sardines, scallops, herring and mussels – all from MSC-certified fisheries. This is a remarkable achievement which is helping to transform the seafood market.”
Important to the business – and to customers
Harry Niazi, owner of Olley’s said: “Over the past few years we have come to realise how important sustainability is to the future of our business, and our customers too. Customers do ask questions about where our fish comes from, and we are proud to be serving a big range of fish that we can confidently say are fully traceable back to an MSC certified fishery. We are really looking forward to having the MSC ecolabel on the menu.”
For more information about Olley’s click here
About the UK fish and chip industry
The fish and chip industry is in the throes of resurgence, with more shops every year achieving the national federation of fish fryers’ Quality Award every year and the best, award-winning and innovative shops seeing a steady surge in business.
At the same time, there’s discernible concern about sustainable fish. Research by the Marine Stewardship Council found that customers are increasingly concerned about the environmental issues surrounding fish. Sustainability is crucial to the new wave of successful fish and chip shops who are setting themselves apart by celebrating the sustainable choices on their menus.
About the Marine Stewardship Council
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international non-profit organisation set up to help transform the seafood market to a sustainable basis. The MSC runs the only certification and ecolabelling programme for wild-capture fisheries consistent with the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Setting Social and Environmental Standards and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation Guidelines for the Eco-labelling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries. These guidelines are based upon the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing and require that credible fishery certification and eco-labelling schemes include:
- Objective, third-party fishery assessment utilising scientific evidence;
- Transparent processes with built-in stakeholder consultation and objection procedures;
- Standards based on the sustainability of target species, ecosystems and management practices.
For more information on the work of the MSC click here or follow on twitter @MSCintheUK