Giving respect to nature is part of our mission. We are still learning what sustainability means in practice when it comes to canned seafood and preserved plants.
And it should be no secret that our ambitions are higher than our achievements. However, here you can read about how far we have come so far:
Most of our fish and shellfish are wild caught and have lived their lives in Nordic oceans and fjords.
Although the majority of our catch is MSC certified* which secures some level of sustainability, all fishing on an industrial scale has an impact on nature. So we cannot offer you a food product that leaves no footprint (or watermark).
However, some species come closer than others: Mussels are practically CO2 neutral. And small fish such as our Nordic sardines (‘brisling’) also contribute to a healthier diet, both from a nutritional and sustainability perspective. Therefore, we have given these species priority in our range.
Yet, we also consider salmon and trout natural in a balanced Nordic diet. Ours are from ASC certified farms, but as with fisheries, all farming has an impact at some level. So remember to eat your mussels and small fish too! Still, seafood in general, including salmon and trout, is by most sources recognized as a more sustainable food source than any meats.
All our ingredients from plants are certified organic. The cold pressed oil in our cans, made with rapeseed from Danish and Swedish farmers. And the vegetables, berries, mushrooms and herbs used in our pickles, spreads, mayos and crispbread**.
The wonderful thing about ‘canning’ and ‘preserving’ is that the final product has a very long shelf life at room temperature.
It makes the risk of food waste extremely low which can otherwise be quite substantial for seafood and vegetables. And there is no energy needed to keep the cans and jars cool or to heat up the content before serving.
Our aluminium cans are 100% recyclable. They do not degrade during the process and can be recycled time and time again. One ‘cycle’ requires only about 5% of the energy of making a new can.
Our glass jars are also recyclable. Just remember to sort and discard the cans as metal, our jars as glass, and our boxes (made from FSC certified cardboard) as carton, after use.
Sustainability is a complex matter, and there is a lot more to it than we have managed to focus on so far.
Feel free to share your thoughts and insights, or ask for more details and we will try to provide them as far as we can: fangst@fangst.com.
* The certification of brisling (sprats) from the Baltic Sea has recently been suspended as the MSC organization is awaiting documentation to assess continued sustainable fishing. According to the latest information we have received, the renewal process is expected to be ended in 2025. We await the conclusions and in the mean time we continue sourcing from the same suppliers who confirm that there are no changes in their fishing practices compared to when the fishing was certified. Also, quotas for brisling have been reduced by 10%, and now by another 30% to avoid over-fishing.
If this species was not also used for fishmeal and animal feed, but instead for human consumption (as with our cans), a more balanced fishing could be achieved. In fact, calculations indicate that if the catch of brisling landed in Danish ports used for fishmeal and animal feed were instead used for human consumption directly, it could supply 1/3 of the protein need for the whole nation.
This would be a much more sustainable use of this fine fish, and we would potentially see less problems with pollution of the waters from the intensive animal farming. Therefore, we see it as our mission to keep promoting Brisling as the fine fish for human consumption it is.
There is no MSC certification for monkfish. However, according to the "WWF Fish Guide" the monkfish stock is considered relatively stable in Iceland, where our monkfish liver is canned.
** Except for the seaweed used in our crispbread. It is harvested at the Faroe Islands and there is no organic certification scheme available for this yet.
