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Eco-friendly Fish Meal for Welsh Schools

by Medindia Content Team on Nov 30 2007 1:18 PM

Eco-friendly fish meal for students in two regions in Wales in the UK. Educational authorities of the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff have begun to serve only such fish as are certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

The MSC’s blue eco-label guarantees the fish were caught sustainably.

It is awarded to fisheries that have shown that they keep marine habitats intact, protect endangered species and do not contribute to over-fishing.

Apart from offering lunches with MSC-labelled fish, schools will also be running education programmes about the problems of over-fishing.

The eco-labelled dinners were launched this week.

Meals include oven-baked salmon nuggets, cod cakes, salmon fingers and fish fingers.

As well as eating eco-labelled fish, children will also learn about the problems of over-fishing through the MSC’s Fish & Kids project.

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The programme aims to teach pupils how fish gets onto our plates – from ocean to oven – why it is good for us and why we are in danger of running out of fish.

Schools will use Fish & Kids materials to teach pupils about the need for a solution to the global problems of over-fishing to ensure there will always be enough fish to feed children in future.

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MSC mascot Murdock the Fisherman’s Cat will visit all the launch schools during their lunchtime, to award prizes for work the pupils have done on the subject.

Carole Tyley, business manager of Vale Catering Services, which provides school meals in Vale of Glamorgan schools, said, “Fish can be something that is hard to get children to eat. We hope this gets the children interested.

“The meals are healthy and are not fried.”

Sue Eakers, catering group manager for schools in Cardiff, said, “I am thrilled that our authority is taking its first steps in this way.

“It is important that from a young age there is an understanding where food comes from and how it is produced.

“This scheme will in turn encourage many to become responsible consumers in later life.”

Fish & Kids project manager Laura Stewart said, “Thanks to the blue MSC fish-tick eco-label, the kids, parents and teachers can be sure that their wholemeal salmon slice and fish fingers were caught sustainably and do not contribute to over-fishing.”

Yvonne Nelson, kitchen manager at Moorland Primary School in Cardiff, said, “Healthy school meals are at the top of our agenda, but we also care about where our food comes from.

“With Fish & Kids we can be sure that healthy fish options carrying the MSC eco-label are from sustainable sources.”

Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott has also welcomed the scheme.

“The MSC’s Fish & Kids project is a fantastic way of getting everyone involved in caring for our seas,” he said.

“We can all try and help to protect our oceans by choosing the MSC eco-label as often as we can, from the school cafeteria, in restaurants and at home.”

Source-Medindia
LIN/M


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