UK Government’s Healthy Eating Guidelines Recommend Sustainable Fish

Following a recent update, the UK government’s official healthy eating guidelines now recommend that consumers choose fish from sustainable sources, including Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified seafood.

The EatWell Guide, produced by Public Health England, gives official recommendations on which foods should be eaten for a healthy, balanced diet. Longstanding advice that consumers should eat at least two portions of fish a week, including one portion of oily fish, has been updated to specify that fish should come from sustainable sources, “to ensure that there are enough fish to eat now and in the future.”

Commenting on the new recommendation, Toby Middleton, Programme Director for MSC in the UK & North Atlantic, said: “Until now, the government’s advice on eating fish has focused solely on the health benefits of including seafood in your diet but now, for the first time, there’s recognition that we need to choose sustainable seafood if we want to protect the ocean environment and protect seafood supplies for future generations.

“The MSC’s ‘blue tick’ ecolabel makes it easy for people to follow the new government guidelines, because when they see it on seafood sold in supermarkets, in fish and chip shops, and on restaurant menus, they can be confident that their purchase comes from a sustainable source, and is traceable from ocean to plate.”