Marine Stewardship Council: Assortment of top chefs combine for sustainable seafood cookbook

January 14, 2021

The collaboration aims to encourage shoppers to make the best environmental choice when buying the seafood they love

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 14 January 2021 – The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) — an environmental not-for-profit — is launching its first sustainable seafood cookbook in collaboration with top sensational chefs from across the globe. It is part of an initiative to encourage and inspire shoppers to commit to making the best environmental choice when buying the seafood they love this year, and beyond.

The Blue Cookbook is a digital collection of delicious recipes featuring a variety of species and styles which appeal to a range of preferences and tastes. Options include seared king prawns, haddock and broccoli bake, hake with cantonese glaze and steamed halibut with rice wine. Also contained within its pages is the environmental story behind the fish we eat, showing consumers how their actions can have a big ripple effect on ocean health.

Some of the contributors to the project are culinary director Lucas Glanville from Grand Hyatt Singapore and Executive chef Otto Goh from the Shangri-La Hotel Group in China. All those involved are strong advocates for sustainable fishing and responsible sourcing.

Anne Gabriel, Programme Director for Oceania and Singapore at the Marine Stewardship Council said: “A new year has arrived, and with it a chance to make better choices for ourselves, our planet and our oceans. We’ve teamed up with incredible chefs to launch a unique sustainable seafood cookbook which features delicious, healthy and future-friendly recipes from across the globe. By choosing to buy from sustainable sources, everyone can help make sure the seafood we love can be enjoyed for years to come.”

Chef Lucas Glanville, who has contributed a Seared King Prawns said: “Singapore diners and consumers are ready to embrace sustainable seafood as a way of life. The people are savvy, and the market is articulate about what is good for the environment. Our hotel has seen amazing growth in business due to our sustainable philosophy. This is all thanks to the support of our diners. We are all accountable for the future, we should do our part to protect the oceans for our future generation.”

The ocean is a vital part of human life on our planet. It provides a major source of protein to more than 3 billion people¹, and millions rely on fisheries for their livelihood². However, the oceans are under threat – 34% of global fisheries have been fished beyond sustainable limits, with this trend continuing to worsen slightly³.

For more than 20 years, the MSC has been tackling the problem of overfishing by incentivizing people to change their behaviour when buying seafood, through its certification and labelling program. Its international collaborative of partners including scientists, NGOs, fisheries, seafood companies, retailers, and restaurants work hand in hand to ensure seafood is wild, delicious, and above all else, sustainable.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Assets:

The full cookbook will be available from Thursday 14 January 2021 at https://stories.msc.org/sg/blue-cookbook/
Additional quotes from chef contributors are available on request

References:

¹ UN FAO — State of the World’s Fisheries and Agriculture Report 2020 page 67

² UN FAO — State of the World’s Fisheries and Agriculture Report 2020 page 95

³ UN FAO — State of the World’s Fisheries and Agriculture Report 2020 page 7

About the Marine Stewardship Council:

The MSC ecolabel on a seafood product means it is fully traceable to a wild-catch fishery which has been independently certified to the MSC’s science-based standard for sustainable fishing. Fisheries representing more than 17% of the world’s wild marine catch are engaged in its certification programme and more than 18,000 different MSC labelled products are available on shelves across the globe*. (*figures correct as of 31 March 2020). For more information visit msc.org or visit our social media pages:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MSCecolabel?lang=en