British fish and chip sellers are turning to Scandinavia to try to keep prices “as much as possible under control” as costs rise. The national federation of fish fryers will ask for help in Norway on Wednesday.
The sector is struggling with rising energy bills and higher prices for cooking oil, potatoes and fish, consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions against Russia. For example, the operators normally get up to half of their sunflower oil from Russia and Ukraine. And about 40 percent of the fish on British plates is caught by Russian fishermen.
The federation of fish fryers now hopes for a solution from Scandinavia. “Most ship owners in Norway decapitate and gut the fish and send them elsewhere for processing,” said federation president Andrew Crook. “I hope I can convince them to produce fish fillets on some ships for our industry. We need everything we can get to keep prices under control as much as possible.”
According to the newspaper Daily Mirror The price per kilo of Icelandic cod has more than doubled since October, from 7.80 pounds to 16 pounds, while the potato price has increased by 30 percent. The federation of fish fryers also calls on the government to reduce VAT. He fears that without measures, up to a third of the ‘fish and chips‘-things could disappear.