Voting opens for Australia’s best fish and chips
Voting has opened for the 2021 Great Australian Fish & Chip awards, marking the start of the search for the country’s best fish and chip businesses.
The awards, which are managed by Seafood Industry Australia, are designed to showcase the very best fish and chip businesses around the country, as well as the teams who run the businesses and the fishers who produce our favourite seafoods.
Voting in the MasterFoods People’s Choice Award is now open and will run through to 12 December, with the State and Territory winners announced at a virtual event on 14 December.
WA Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC) Chief Executive Officer, Darryl Hockey, said that while voting for your local favourite is fun, it’s also important that consumers are aware of where their seafood comes from.
WAFIC has been actively calling for more rigorous labelling laws for the food service sector so consumers can have confidence that the seafood they are buying is local and sustainable.
“While Country of Origin labelling is mandatory in packaged retail seafood the rules change as soon as the packaging is opened.
“All seafood sold in the retail sector must be labelled to identify its Country of Origin. However as soon as the food is cooked and sold those laws disappear, making it difficult for consumers to distinguish between sustainable Australian seafood and non-sustainable seafood imported from other markets.
“We would like to see Country of Origin, or better yet, State of Origin labelling mandated for seafood sold in the food service sector. It’s common sense that consumers should be able to identify what they are paying for, what they are eating and where it comes from, so they can make more informed choices about supporting local products. Local consumers should be given the confidence that if they are paying for WA seafood then they are eating WA seafood,” Darryl said.
So when you’re buying your fish and chips make sure you ask for local seafood.
To vote for your favourite fish and chip shop, log onto www.fishandchipawards.com.au and follow the prompts.
People can vote each day and can even vote for different shops on different days if they choose.
The site also has a live leaderboard so you can keep an eye on how your local shop is performing.