Don't make a bad shellfish choice this Christmas
Some 8 million Aussies are not planning to purchase sustainable prawns this Christmas, research from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) reveals.
The national study conducted by YouGov shows that one in 10 (9%) say they are not worried if their shellfish is sustainable, while 2.5 million Aussies (16%) don’t know what sustainable prawns are.
Anne Gabriel, MSC Oceania Program Director, said this could put the great Aussie tradition at risk for future generations.
“After a challenging year, Australians deserve to enjoy their Christmas celebrations with family and friends. With many Australians changing their buying habits during the pandemic, combined with the environment increasingly being a key concern in people’s minds, conscious consumerism is on the rise,” she said.
“This Christmas over 8 million people plan to purchase sustainable prawns, not just because it is the better choice for the environment, but to also support local fisheries and fishing communities — all of which will help to safeguard our seafood for future Christmases and generations to come.”
To help make choosing and serving sustainable prawns easy, the MSC has teamed up with chef and sustainability guru Scott Gooding to explain how to purchase, prep and present some show-stopping, sustainable seafood recipes this Christmas.
Scott Gooding said the Marine Stewardship Council’s study shows that Australians aren’t just planning to throw shrimp on the barbie this year.
“With 40% of prawns consumed over the Christmas period alone in Australia, making the simple switch to MSC certified sustainable prawns will help to keep this festive favourite on the Christmas table for generations to come,” he said.
MSC certified sustainable seafood such as prawns mean they’ve been caught at a level where they’ll be around in the future.
“Just look for the MSC blue fish tick, available in leading supermarkets in the frozen and chilled aisles as well as Coles deli seafood counters,” Gabriel said.
The MSC blue fish tick indicates wild-caught seafood that is traceable back to healthy fish populations. It is the only wild-capture fisheries certification and ecolabelling program that meets global best practice requirements set by both the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (UN FAO) and ISEAL, the global membership association for sustainability standards.
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