Top UK chefs join environmental campaign to remove salmon from menu | Conscious consumption

Salmon, known to be healthy, delicious and rich in Omega-3, has become part of the most diverse meals and occasions, from celebrations to everyday dishes. In some countries, this food is more popular due to its presence in colder waters. According to the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), salmon is the most consumed fish in the UK. Scotland is world-famous for its production and fish accounts for 40% of its total food exports. In Britain, it is also the most valuable product in the economy.

However, top chefs in the UK are ditching pink fish from the menu. The reason: environmental and welfare concerns about captive salmon farming. Therefore, at least 150 restaurants have joined WildFish’s “Fora da Mesa” campaign. The charity says numbers of wild Atlantic salmon in Britain have declined dramatically since the 1970s and that factory farming is one reason for the decline. The Scottish Fish Health Inspectorate’s 2022 report found that deaths on Scottish fish farms had almost doubled compared to the previous year.

From Devon to Scotland, restaurants, cafés, galleries and hotels are taking part in the campaign, including some classics: Grace & Savor – a Michelin-starred venue in Solihull – zero-waste restaurant Silo – the iconic St John restaurant group, galleries Tate and Buco Tapas Bar. The ethical concern of chefs is sustainability, due to the use of antibiotics and chemicals in production, lack of quality and loss of biodiversity of species.

“I think it’s a very poor product, and because of the effect it has on wild salmon, I wouldn’t serve it,” says Lloyd Morse, head chef at the Palmerston restaurant in Edinburgh. Watchman.

At Lost Kitchen in Devon, salmon was a long-standing menu item and customer favorite, but since March it has been discontinued. For director and co-founder, George Aykroyd: “It’s not about the salmon, it’s about their production. Salmon in big nets and small quantities at sea is good, but now it seems to be small nets and large quantities of salmon. And in some places, it was trout.” A more sustainable alternative that has been a hit, say chefs.