The national Baltic Sea Day was initiated by the John Nurminen Foundation. According to the foundation’s Senior Specialist Miina Mäki, food choices are the best way to act for the benefit of the Baltic Sea.
“Everyone can help the Baltic Sea by choosing sustainably caught wild fish, eating more vegetables and consuming less meat and dairy products. The livestock industry in particular requires a lot of land, and the nutrient load from agriculture is the most significant cause of eutrophication of the Baltic Sea.”
Finns could consume more fish from the Baltic Sea.
“If all Finns ate fish from the Baltic Sea once a week, about 400,000 kilograms of phosphorus would be removed from the sea annually. If they ate fish from the Baltic Sea just once a month, up to 90,000 kilograms of phosphorus would still be removed from the sea each year. Roach and other cyprinid fish, MSC-certified herring caught in Finland and perch are typically sustainably caught, so they can safely be enjoyed without endangering fish stocks,” says Miina Mäki of the John Nurminen Foundation.
Palvelukeskus Helsinki’s food services also consider it important to serve fish from the Baltic Sea.
“We are really proud to be participating in the Baltic Sea Day for the fourth time by offering our customers fish from the Baltic Sea. Our menus also feature a lot of plant-based food. As a public food service provider, we play an important role in enabling our customers to make more responsible choices. In 2022, our food services used over 30,000 kilograms of fish from the Baltic Sea, which is a considerable amount,” says Eeva Lappalainen, Development Manager from Palvelukeskus Helsinki’s food services.