Judges will be looking for evidence of menu development and innovation when promoting healthier options, as well as customer health awareness methods and employee training procedures focusing on healthier products and ingredients.
Wrongly considered as being bad for health, research into fish and chips (Source: National Federation of Fish Friers*) shows that it is in fact a fantastic natural, nutritional meal which is good value for money and an excellent source of protein - far better than most other takeaway foods. A portion of fish and chips provides the body with carbohydrate, vitamins B6 and B12, vitamin C, iron, calcium, phosphorous, as well as the trace elements iodine, fluorine, zinc and some important dietary fibre.
As is regularly stated in the world of food and diets, items of food on their own won't make a person fat. It is the amount of food consumed in relation to the energy expenditure that influences weight and levels of obesity (Source: NHS Choices**). The same applies to fish and chips; if eaten in moderation and as part of a balanced diet, fish and chips is a wholesome, nutritious meal which contains essential minerals/vitamins and less additives than other takeaways such as burgers and curries.
Submitted entries to this new award category will be appraised and scored by a panel of industry experts to produce a Top 3 shortlist, who will then be invited to the awards ceremony at The Lancaster London Hotel on 20 January 2015, at which the overall national winner for this particular award category will be announced.
The National Fish & Chip Awards recognise the quality and choice offered by fish and chip businesses across the UK. Every year event organisers, Seafish, seek out the best talent in order to recognise those achieving the highest standards in the fish and chip sector.
Nikki Hawkins, Events Manager at Seafish, said: “Since there are a growing number of fish and chip takeaways and restaurants offering healthier alternatives to their customers, we wanted to recognise and reward the contribution they make to the continued successful development of the industry. Fish and chips are a national institution and an integral part of our culture. We hope this will be a popular category and drive interest.”
Caroline Klinge, Technical Sales and Marketing Manager at LoSalt, said: “At LoSalt we are passionate about promoting a healthier alternative to regular table, sea and rock salts. As a company that aims to inform consumers about smarter salt choices to enjoy on their fish and chips, we consider ourselves to be the perfect sponsor for this new award category.
“We are absolutely delighted to be working with Seafish in encouraging fish and chip businesses to think about conveying the health benefits of their products and offering healthier alternatives for customers. Hopefully this will encourage more businesses to follow suit.”
