The Food Standards Agency has updated its fish and shellfish advice to help consumers make informed, sustainable choices as part of its commitment to taking sustainability into account in all of its policy making.
As the evidence for the health benefits of fish consumption remain clear, Agency advice is unchanged: people should be eating at least two portions of fish a week, one of which should be an oily fish.
But the advice is being set more firmly in the wider sustainability context and consumers are now being asked to think about the choices they make when they choose which fish to eat.
Consumers are, for example, encouraged to:
- try to choose fish that has been produced sustainably or responsibly managed
- look for assurance scheme logos, and
- be adventurous and eat a wider variety of fish species.
The updates to the fish and shellfish advice, which appear on the Agency’s consumer web site, eatwell, are supported by links to sources of useful information and follow work with a range of stakeholders and partners and a public consultation.
The Agency worked with Defra, the Department of Health, the Scottish Government and other Government departments, responding to recommendations from stakeholders such as the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and the Sustainable Consumption Roundtable.
The eatwell fish page continues to provide advice on preparing, storing and cooking fish and shellfish, fish allergy, and contains specific advice for pregnant women. There is also detailed advice about the recommended limits for adults and children because of the low levels of pollutants in certain fish – advice based on the joint report of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition and the Committee on Toxicity.
