Revolutionizing School Lunches: The Plymouth Fish Finger Project
Fish fingers like you’ve never seen them before. A groundbreaking community initiative is making waves across Plymouth and beyond with the creation of a locally sourced fish finger specifically designed for school lunches.
The Plymouth Fish Finger: A Sustainable Solution
This innovative project focuses on utilizing ‘by-catch’ fish—species that typically go to waste—from local fishermen. By taste-testing these options with schoolchildren, the project aims to co-design a new fish finger to be served in local school meals.
Fish varieties such as whiting, pouting, and dogfish are included, ensuring that small-scale coastal fishermen (operating vessels under 10 meters) receive fair compensation for these often overlooked fish, while simultaneously promoting healthy and sustainable meals for local schools.
The initiative is co-led by the University of Plymouth, Sole of Discretion CIC, the Plymouth Fishing & Seafood Association, and CATERed. It is part of the larger national FoodSEqual programme, designed to enhance access to healthier foods across the UK. For more information, visit FoodSEqual Plymouth.
How it All Began
Dr. Clare Pettinger, a food system justice researcher at the University of Plymouth, is dedicated to tackling barriers that inhibit healthy and sustainable food consumption in the community. As part of the FoodSEqual initiative, she conducted several workshops in Whitleigh, Plymouth, to assess local knowledge about fish and discover ways to encourage greater consumption.
Feedback from these workshops identified the need for better access to diverse fish options, leading to the idea of a local, sustainable fish finger. Partnering with Caroline Bennett from Sole of Discretion CIC and Ed Baker from the Plymouth Fishing & Seafood Association, Dr. Pettinger engaged local fishermen to discuss potential species for the project. Students from Sir John Hunt Community College then participated in a series of taste-testing sessions to help design the final product.
CATERed, the primary provider of school meals in Plymouth, has joined the initiative, showing strong support for the introduction of these new fish fingers into school lunch menus.
A Collaborative Approach
Dr. Pettinger expressed her enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, “What’s amazing about this project is the partnership that has formed around it. We have embraced a community co-design model, contributing to the project’s success. Our amazing local partners share a vision for the Plymouth Fish Finger, which not only belongs to the community but also promotes the Plymouth Seafood brand, instilling pride and identity in the product.”
The Future of the Project
The next challenge for the Plymouth Fish Finger project involves mechanizing the manufacturing process to meet the demand of 36,000 fish fingers required for school meal cycles. To achieve this, the team is actively seeking philanthropic investment. Additionally, they are working towards ensuring these fish fingers meet industry standards for sustainability.
Dr. Pettinger added, “We know this project has a positive impact on the city. With proof of concept established, our focus is now on scaling up and finding the support needed to make it widely accessible. At the very least, we have demonstrated that a collaborative community effort can yield fantastic results. We hope this inspires other regions across the UK, proving that access to healthy food at reasonable prices can indeed be transformed through collective action.”
In summary, the Plymouth Fish Finger project stands as a remarkable example of how local initiatives can foster community engagement, support sustainable fishing practices, and enhance the nutritional quality of school meals.
