FOODSERVICE MORE CAREFUL ABOUT THE TUNA IT SERVES
Following the release of the film entitled ‘The End of the Line’, media interest has intensified and the pressure on restaurateurs and chefs to offer responsible fish and seafood on their menus has heightened.
Promoting the message of consumer responsibility the campaign encourages people who buy fish in a shop or in restaurant, to ask where it comes from; whether it is from a sustainable source, whether it is an endangered or over-exploited species. The film focuses on issues relating to the sustainability of commercial fisheries and in particular on bluefin tuna.
M&J Seafood, Brakes Group fresh fish specialist is renowned for championing the sustainable fish and seafood debate and offers more MSC certified products than any other supplier the UK foodservice market. Building on this standing and for the second season, M&J Seafood has an agreement with two Cornish boats – the Charisma and Nova Spero, to take the majority of their catch of British albacore tune exclusively for the UK foodservice market.
This sustainable fishery will start fishing towards the end of June when the season will continue through to early September. Caught off the South West Cornish coast by two local skippers who have the exclusive rights to fish for the species, albacore offers chefs a responsible alternative to bluefin and offers a slightly different presentation to the better-known yellow-fin species. Comparably meaty in taste in texture it is much lighter in colour and yielding smaller loins, albacore is sometimes referred to as white tuna.
To help its customers make an informed decision as to what species they offer on their menus, M&J Seafood has produced a dedicated guide to Cornish albacore tuna – ‘A British fishing success story’. The booklet tells the whole story from what occurs during the season, to a unique chef’s guide including front of house tips to market this delicious and responsible fish to their customers. Chefs can also sign up to the British Skippers scheme and receive daily emails updating them on availability with news on the fishing/landing of the albacore.
Mike Berthet, group director fish and seafood comments on the scheme, “We support the Cornish fishermen and their albacore fishery as it both improves the local economy whilst reducing the carbon footprint of the catch and helps to relieve the pressure on the more common depleting stocks of bluefin. Albacore is selectively line caught and is fully sustainable. Weather cycles throughout the World namely the monsoon season force the price of yellowfin tuna up during the summer, but this is when albacore is at its most abundant.
He continues, “We take our responsibility as the leading supplier of fish and seafood to the industry very seriously, and as part of that believe we have a part to play in educating our customers on making a responsible decision, we hope projects such as this will go someway in encouraging chefs to maximise the delicious and sustainable species our coasts have to offer”.
For further information of sustainable sourcing visit www.sustainableseafood.co.uk and download a copy of ‘A British fishing success story’ brochure to find out more about albacore tuna.
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