Grocery chain Iceland Foods promotes Marine Stewardship Council-certified fish fingers

U.K. grocery chain Iceland Foods is using some fun new statistics on how Britons like to eat fish finger sandwiches to encourage shoppers to look for Marine Stewardship Council-certified seafood.

To settle the “age-old de-bait” on the ultimate fish finger recipe, Iceland surveyed 2,000 Britons and found that 42 percent say a fish finger sandwich is their sandwich of choice. However, 64 percent said fish finger sandwiches should be cheese-free. And 44 prefer ketchup on their fish finger sandwiches, while 31 percent use tartar sauce. Only 9 percent would opt for gherkins in the recipe – something Brits are accustomed to seeing in the fish finger sandwich recipe.

In partnership with major frozen seafood supplier Birds Eye, the operator of more than 950 stores said in a press release it is calling on shoppers to look for the blue MSC eco-label to assure themselves the product has come from a well-managed fishery with healthy fish stocks.

“It is more important than ever for shoppers to choose seafood from sustainable sources. By making more sustainable seafood choices, shoppers can help to ensure fish finger sandwiches are still on the menu for generations to come,” it said.

Iceland has “made great progress in increasing the availability of sustainable seafood to its customers,” and now offers the highest percentage range of MSC-certified wild seafood among all U.K. retailers, MSC U.K. and Ireland Program Director George Clark said.

While 76 percent of people want the fish fingers they purchase to be sustainably caught and 64 percent want to make more sustainable choices, 44 percent don’t know where to start and 56 percent don’t even know what MSC certification is, according to Iceland’s research. And while 39 percent of consumers admit they care about the planet, they can’t afford to make changes to their weekly grocery purchases, Iceland found.

“We know our fish fingers are not only great value, but they taste good too – making them a quick and easy meal that is guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser for families,” Iceland Foods and The Food Warehouse Group Buying Director Andrew Staniland said. Iceland also frequently includes fish fingers in its promotional “Mix and Match” offers, “making sustainable seafood a great choice for those on a budget,” Staniland said.

Via Iceland’s Mix & Match offers, shoppers can create fish finger sandwiches for GBP 1.58 (USD 1.93, EUR 1.83), the grocery chain said.

Birds Eye U.K. and Ireland Marketing Director Jim Shearer said the partnership was geared toward promoting sustainable seafood in the U.K.

“We are very proud to be working closely with the MSC,” Shearer said.

“Fish is good for our health, and so for the good of our oceans the Birds Eye fish range is 100 percent MSC-certified to make sure future generations can enjoy fish too.”

Photo courtesy of Iceland Foods