Weakened UK fish-and-chips sector asks for help

Businesses that serve Britain’s favorite takeaway food – fish and chips – are experiencing a crisis due to soaring prices, leaving these mostly independent, modest-sized ventures fearing for their future.

The U.K.’s National Federation of Fish Friers (NFFF) President Andrew Crook, who is also the owner of Skippers of Euxton, a fish and chips restaurant in Chorley, Lancashire, told SeafoodSource that he doesn’t worry about demand for the fish-and-chip industry and believes the product “will always be strong.” However, he believes change is likely, including further consolidation.

Crook said one-third of the country’s fish and chip shops could go out of business in the next five years, with many finding it too difficult to operate due to escalating fish, energy, and overall cost-of-living prices.

“As an industry, we’ve been through so much over ... 

Photo courtesy of George Street Fish Restaurant