Chef Ned Bell & SeaChoice Create Canada’s First Sustainable Shrimp Ring for the Holidays
The holiday season is here and with this festive time of year comes endless holiday parties with customary foods including the shrimp ring. Unfortunately this traditional party favourite is typically on the SeaChoice red “avoid” naughty list. The shrimp used has ecological impacts and recently, the fish feed used in shrimp farming has even been linked to on board human slavery. As the notorious shrimp ring is one of the holidays top selling appetizers, Chef Ned Bell and SeaChoice National Manager, Lana Gunnlaugson, have teamed up to evolve this Christmas holiday tradition by creating a green-listed SeaChoice “Best Choice” shrimp ring. Chef Ned Bell explains, “although a sustainable shrimp ring may not be widely available in stores yet, it is beyond simple to create. There is no reason why Canadians can’t make their own version at home by buying sustainable shrimp.”
“Our hope is to not only raise awareness around responsible seafood choices, but also to show Canadians that there are alternative solutions for the popular shrimp ring such as wild Canadian shrimp and farmed Selva shrimp,” says Lana Gunnlaugson, National Manager for SeaChoice. By creating consumer demand for a sustainable shrimp ring, it won’t be long until the market widely offers a greener shrimp ring for the holidays. This Christmas, Vancouver’s Fish Counter will custom make shrimp rings with local BC spot prawns with a minimum of 1 lb order and 24 hour notice. Chef Ned Bell Recently honoured with the Pinnacle Awards Canadian Chef of the Year designation, Executive Chef of the Four Seasons Vancouver and YEW seafood + bar, Ned Bell is a true ocean ambassador. Chef Bell’s menu features only sustainable seafood ingredients and his message is shared with each of his guests. Founder of the Chefs for Oceans Foundation, Chef Bell recently rode his bike across Canada to raise awareness in support of healthier oceans.
SeaChoice Formed in 2006, SeaChoice is a national program that provides science-based sustainability assessments of seafood and helps Canadian businesses and consumers make sustainable seafood choices. SeaChoice is a joint initiative of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, David Suzuki Foundation, Ecology Action Centre, and Living Oceans Society. Working in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s acclaimed Seafood Watch program, SeaChoice undertakes science-based assessments, provides informative resources for consumers, and supports businesses through collaborative partnerships.
For more information contact: Lana Gunnlaugson, National SeaChoice Manager 778-833-2954