Celebrity chef Matthew Evans has a new series on SBS called "What's the Catch":
"Imagine a menu that offered ‘mammal and root vegetable’, or ‘bird and green leaf’.
It would be considered ridiculous.
But when it comes to seafood, you can simply write ‘fish’ on a menu in Australia, without much of a problem. So long as it is fish (and not mammal, or bird), then it’s okay, under current legislation, to not say exactly which fish it is.
It’s time for reform.
We need to stop allowing seafood to be described in obscure, obfuscating, or misleading terms and provide consumers with what they deserve – clear and accurate seafood labelling. What we really need, is to know just what’s on our plates. Only then can we make decisions about what we put in our mouths, and what our actions may have on the seas that provide for our tables."
When I'm looking at seafood I want to know so I can make an informed choice to help with maintaining a sustainable ocean.
1 What species of fish it is
2 Where it is from
3 How it was caught or farmed
http://labelmyfish.com to sign a petition asking for these changes.
Something's wrong with it though... I can't get it to show my country.
Or indeed, anyone's country. Let me know if you have more success.
http://www.greenpeace.org.au/blog/seafood-labelling/
I offer the term "Meat Pie".
ReplyDeleteOr "Salad" that may be miscellaeous green leaves of just about any species that won't actually poison you. "Tastes good" is optional and discouraged.
ReplyDeleteOr "Cornflour" where corn is the original pre-maize definition of miscellaneous grain.
ReplyDeleteMost menus at any restaurant above your corner deli will tell you what sort of meat pie. Beef and Guinness, Lamb and Rosemary...
ReplyDeleteThe restaurants I generally go to break down what's in your salad or tell you what sort of salad it is.
Likewise every restaurant that I generally go to gives a lot of detail about the fish including if it is caught locally because this is a selling point. Fish and chippies are at the level of your corner deli and at that level there is a lot of detail left out.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'll be fair, fish are deserving of proper disclosure because of the whole environmental impact aspect. But the overblowen opening statements really grate on me because that is exactly what you get for a whole range of foods.
Huh, I've never seen a restaurant that gave me the scientific name of the fish or the method of capture or farming type.
ReplyDelete????
ReplyDeleteshrug We must go to different restaurants.
ReplyDeletemost restaurants will tell you if you ask if the fish is local or imported etc. however if you want a scientific name for fish with exact descriptions of origin your are not or shouldn't expect to get it at a restaurant .
ReplyDeleteBut i can see the point of it with fish sold at super markets and fish markets etc.
The information would serve a useful function there.
I never expect it at a restaurant. It's what I want however.
ReplyDelete