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03/25/2024

Master Chef Caught Illegally Advertising Farmed Fish As Wild!

 

 

 

 

Last week (21 March 2024), I asked Chef Andy Spence of the Boar's Head where the Scottish 'caught' steelhead seatrout was caught by a fisherman:

 

 

 

 

Apparently asking master chefs questions of where they source food is not very nice!

 

 

 

 

"I am the cook pal.....take it up with the supplier and don't make my life harder then it needs to be," he replied:

 

 

 

 

 

Master Chef Andy Spence immediately blocked me from his Instagram page:

 

Chef Andy Spence Instagram blocked

 

 

 

Here is his original - and illegal - Instagram post (as it was seen on 20 March 2024) claiming the Scottish steelhead seatrout was caught:

 

Chef Andy Spence caught steelhead post 20 March 2024

 

In close up:

 

Chef Andy Spence Instagram close up of caught

 

 

 

After the issue of illegality was raised on 21 March 2024, master chef Andy Spence deleted reference to caught:

 

Chef Andy Spence Instagram corrected 21 March 2024

 

 

 

Here is an email I sent master chef Andy Spence:

 

Chef Andy Spence AA Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence

 

From: Don Staniford <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, Mar 21, 2024 at 6:40 AM
Subject: Query re: "caught" Scottish steelhead seatrout
To: <[email protected]>
Cc: <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>, <[email protected]>

 

Chef Spence,
 
I was interested to read on your Instagram page this week that the Scottish steelhead seatrout marketed, advertised and served at the Boar's Head was "caught": https://www.instagram.com/p/C4t5h9DoBCF/
 
Where was this wild fish product hooked by a fisherman?
 
 
Chef Andy Spence Instagram Don question #2
 
 
A swift reply would be much appreciated. 
 
As I am sure you are aware, deceptively marketing/advertising/labelling farmed fish as wild "caught" is illegal. Seafish (copied in here along with some of the people you tagged in your Instagram post) may be able to give you some advice on labelling laws: https://www.seafish.org/trade-and-regulation/seafood-traceability-and-labelling-regulations/the-fish-labelling-regulations/ 
 
Food Standards Scotland (also copied in here) may also be able to provide advice on labelling farmed and wild fish products correctly: https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/business-and-industry/safety-and-regulation/labelling
 
As background to fish fraud, you may be interested in:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
If the wild "caught" Scottish steelhead seatrout product you are advertising and marketing is actually sourced from a factory fish farm, an immediate correction and retraction would be much appreciated.
 
I had the misfortune back in 2021 to visit a Kames steelhead seatrout farm at Shuna Castle near Craobh Haven and the welfare abuse and mass mortalities left me sick to the stomach: https://twitter.com/TheGAAIA/status/1437022474470834176
 
 
If the Boar's Head is sourcing farmed steelhead seatrout from Kames Fish Farm - not from wild "caught" stocks - then I am sure your customers would be shocked to see the horrific conditions of fish farming at Kames: https://vimeo.com/602980849
 
If you are cooking with farmed steelhead seatrout from Kames - as opposed to the wild "caught" fish which you claim on Instragram - you may wish to watch video footage (seen by 2.3 million people) of a Kames fish farm worker assaulting a concerned local: https://twitter.com/TheGAAIA/status/1746852702301147389
 
 
Best fishes,
 
Don Staniford
 
Director, $camon $cotland 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Chef Andy Spence Ewan McGregor
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted at 08:34 AM |

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