Gove eats sustainable fish but denies same standards for schoolchildren

Press statement, for immediate release, 12th July 2013

The Sustainable Fish City campaign [1] is disappointed that the School Food Plan [2] contains no legal requirement for schools to buy only demonstrably sustainable fish.  This is the mandatory standard expected for fish served in Whitehall, Number 10, the Armed Forces and even prisons [3], and was the standard achieved at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games [4]. Our children deserve the same rigorous and responsible approach to protect the sustainable fish stocks on which their healthy eating depends – now and in the future.

We believe that mandatory sustainability standards for school fish buying are the only reliable route to ensuring that endangered fish stays off school menus. However, mandatory standards seem to have been ruled out in favour of a weaker “encouragement” to take part, which we think is an alarmingly laissez-fare approach by Education Secretary Michael Gove and the Department for Education [5] to the current crisis in world fish stocks [6].

We are relieved to see that fish sustainability has been given prominence in new guidance for head teachers [7], who together are responsible for buying fish worth £43 million every year to feed our children [8]. We have been assured by the School Food Plan team that this guidance will be vigorously promoted, and the marine conservation charities involved in the Sustainable Fish City campaign look forward to working with Henry Dimbleby, John Vincent and the Department of Education to help them included appropriate advice on sustainable fish into detailed school food guidance to be issued shortly [9].

However, we still remain concerned that government issuing yet more “guidance” is an ineffective way to conserve precious marine resources. Our children trust us to look after their planet and future well-being, and taking a sustainable approach to fish served in schools is a critically important part of honouring that trust.

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Notes to editors

1. Sustainable Fish City is a campaign coordinated by Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming, and supported by the Good Catch initiative, Marine Conservation Society, Marine Stewardship Council, Pisces Responsible Fish Restaurants, Seafood Choices Alliance and many others. The campaign is helping towns and cities throughout the UK to buy, sell and eat only sustainable fish. See: www.sustainablefishcity.net
2. In 2012, Education Secretary Michael Gove asked Leon restaurant founders Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent to work with schools, councils, caterers, parents and government to set out how to increase the number of children eating good food in schools. Their School Food Plan was published 12 July, 2013: www.schoolfoodplan.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/School-Food-Plan-2013.pdf
3. Mandatory Government Buying Standards cover one third of food bought by public sector institutions, and contain a compulsory sustainability standard for fish served in Government Departments, Whitehall, Number 10, HM Prisons and the Armed Forces. www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity/fish_news/jun11_uk_government_commits_to_sustainable_fish/
4. Helped by the Sustainable Fish City campaign, the organisers of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games served only demonstrably sustainable fish, see: www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity/fish_news/dec09_london_2012_commits_to_demonstrably_sustainable_fish/
5. In February 2013, 450 concerned citizens, helped by the Sustainable Fish City campaign and backed by leading marine conservation groups, wrote to the Department for Education asking them to champion sustainable fish standards for food served in all schools. The Department rebuffed calls for mandatory sustainable fish standards for school food, stating that: “The Department believes that schools should be able to make their own decisions about their day to day running.” Read more about this at: www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity/fish_news/feb13_gove_told_stop_threatening_childrens_health/
6. According to United Nations figures, 85% of the world’s fish stocks are either fully or over-exploited: www.sustainweb.org/sustainablefishcity/fish_news/mar11_un_highlights_fish_stocks_in_crisis/  
7. The School Food Plan (see point 2) incorporates a Headteacher Checklist (www.schoolfoodplan.com/schools/), which includes an encouragement for headteachers, school business managers and school cooks to consider that “on fish, avoid the worst (Marine Conservation Society red list), and promote the best (MCS green list which includes Marine Stewardship Council certified fish)”. This is not a mandatory standard for schools, and schools will not be asked to report on whether they are excluding endangered species (“red list” fish) and using demonstrably sustainable fish (“green list” fish).
8. Sustainable Fish City has calculated that schools buy approximately £43 million of fish every year to feed to schoolchildren.
9. A representative of Sustainable Fish City met with School Food Plan coordinator, Henry Dimbleby, prior to launch of the School Food Plan. Sustainable Fish City received Henry Dimbleby’s personal assurance that detailed guidance for school food, to be issued shortly, will include robust advice for schools and local authorities on buying, serving and promoting demonstrably sustainable fish in schools.