Pubs urged to stay up to speed on sustainability

With guidance changing regularly, according to factors such as the time of the year and the quantity of specific species being landed, the wholesale seafood and fish supplier is warning operators that they need to be committed when it comes to sustainability.

Recognising the need to put responsible sourcing at the heart of its service to operators, the business has recruited a specialist team led by Laky Zervudachi as director of sustainability.

Zervudachi explained the team is offering more support to operators with its new online resources and increased access to specialist advice in its network of local businesses.

“A sustainability programme isn’t something operators can simply sign up to and ‘tick the box’,” he explained.

“Any list of fish and seafood species is a snapshot because the situation changes all the time and it can depend on the breeding season, changes to quotas and simply the size of the catch, among other factors.”

Operator updates

With more consumers than ever expecting operators to put sustainably caught and managed fish on the menu, the seafood specialist company will now offer regular updates not only on which species are being caught sustainably, but which are ‘red rated’ and should be avoided.

This includes downloadable posters that can be used as a simple reference guide when ordering, backed up by a range of information and resources.

Zervudachi concluded: “As just one example, wild-caught sea bass has become widely used on pub menus, and the advice is to switch to farmed varieties or alternative species.”

Direct Seafoods managing director Brian Hall said: “For us, it’s not simply a question of advising operators on sustainability; there are species we simply won’t sell.

“We’re committed to working with customers to ensure their menus reflect the latest sustainability advice, and we have specialists at all our sites to help ensure that.”