Could fish disappear from the menu at chip shops?

Chip shop owners said they feared for the future of the traditional fish and chip meal due to the rising costs of cod and other seafood.

Tarun Singh, whose family runs three businesses in and around Peterborough, said he believed many shops might simply stop selling fish in the future – offering only food like sausages and burgers instead.

Fellow Cambridgeshire shop owner, Mark Petrou, said fish was double the price of last year and he planned to remove large cod from his menu because it was "too expensive".

The National Federation of Fish Friers said the market was more "competitive" due to tight quotas. The government said changes in food prices were "driven by a number of factors".

Mr Singh, 21, is a second generation chip shop owner and said there were many challenges.

"All costs involved seem to be higher and higher, and now fish prices are going through the roof," he said.

His family also owns a shop in Eastfield that relies on selling burgers, kebabs and sausages.

"Without them, the shop would be on its knees. We have to do something else to keep going," he added.

Mark Petrou, an award-winning fish and chip shop owner based in Chatteris, has been running his business since 1987.

"I will be taking large cod off my menu, because the price I'd have to charge would be unaffordable for most people - it'd be around £20 a time with chips," he said.

During the Covid pandemic he said regular cod and chips was priced at £8, but now cost customers £11.50 - despite him trying to absorb as many costs as possible.

Last year he said fish from his supplier was £98 a case, but was now £280.

He believed costs would "only get worse" due to changes to Norway's fishing quotas to let stocks recover, which meant "supply has dropped for us and pushed up prices".

Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, said: "We are in a situation currently where the price we need to sell fish and chips for needs to increase just as consumers have less money in their pockets.

"The Barents Sea quota for cod has been reduced to 380,000 tonnes for this year compared to 1,000,000 tonnes four years ago, which is causing supply issues as we have to contend with global demand for cod and haddock."

Mr Crook added that the industry was looking at alternative species to give consumers the option, as well as shops offering different portion sizes.

"Fish and chips still compares well to other food options out there," he added.

A government spokesperson said it was "backing coastal communities and the fishing industry by investing £360m, helping to secure the future for the next generation of fishers".

"Changes in food prices are driven by a number of factors such as import prices, manufacturing costs and exchange rates, and we closely monitor this."

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