Last week at Lidl, I noticed two almost identical packets of fish fingers sitting side by side in the freezer. One was priced around €2.15, the other closer to €3.
Identical in taste, the main difference lay in the origins of the fish. The more expensive option was certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, meaning you can eat it without the guilt of contributing to the terminal decline of our fish species and all the disastrous knock-on effects that their extinction would have for ocean (and ultimately terrestrial) life. The other packet? Down with ocean life.
Shamefully, I sailed past them both and went for the unsustainably sourced, more expensive, but healthier Omega-3 fish fingers in another supermarket (Conor Pope reviews fish fingers in today’s Pricewatch).
Later that day, at the end of RTE Radio One’s Drivetime programme, an expert came on the show imploring us to buy fish marked with the Marine Stewardship Council’s stamp of approval, and to ask our fishmonger if the fish is sustainably sourced. The latter is something I’ve only recently – and gingerly – started to ask.
M&S are moving towards sustainability with their fish, but other supermarkets and fishmongers still have some way to go. Is sustainability an issue for you when you buy fish, or are you more likely to go for the cheaper option?