Dab sales rise by 593% in March as M&J Seafood champion sustainable fish

Since implementation in January 2012, sales of sustainable species have significantly increased including Coley (47%), Megrim (21%) and Dab (96%) compared to first quarter sales last year. Most significantly though, the sales of Dab - which is a popular alternative to other flat fish such as plaice and lemon sole – had a record 593% sales uplift last month. Clare Twiss, head of marketing for M&J Seafood commented: "The Sustainable Hero initiative introduces a different species of sustainable fish each month, with information on how it tastes, how it's prepared and what its benefits are compared to other well-known counterparts. "Communicated through our monthly offers mailing, Splash, customers are then able to make savings by selecting the Sustainable Hero of the month. The initiative helps chefs to expand their menus and offer new and diverse species of fish, in a cost-effective way. It will help sustainable fish to become the norm and not the exception." Sustainability is at the forefront of M&J Seafood's business practices: M&J Seafood was the first in foodservice to offer MSC approved products, was the first to ban endangered species such as shark, blue fin tuna and European eel. M&J Seafood is dedicated to utilising discards, promoting the use of low-value species, which in turn reduces the pressure on more popular stocks. This year it launched the largest Friend of the Sea fish and seafood range to foodservice, to compliment over 90 MSC approved products it offers to its customers.