In the season that started with the throwing of the nets into the sea as of September 1, quality, fresh and reliable varieties of this indispensable taste of the kitchens reach both professional customers and end consumers at Metro Turkey stalls. Metro Turkey, which has been continuing its work with a focus on sustainability since 1990 with the aim of preserving Turkish culinary culture and transferring it to future generations, offers the "Metro Style" with the analyzes it carries out from net to plate and the traceability solutions it offers for all seasonal fish varieties in this fish season, as every year. More than 100 types of seafood such as anchovy, bonito, mullet, horse mackerel, sardine, chinakop, blue fish, as well as oysters, mussels, aquivades, octopus, squid, shrimp, lobster, cuttlefish, langoustine, and crab are offered to customers at Metro stalls.

Metro Turkey carries seafood to its shelves not only in accordance with catch and size bans, but also periodically according to the results of analysis on five parameters in total: lead, cadmium and mercury heavy metals, parasites and histamine. It does not include any products on its shelves that have not passed food analysis or have been hunted improperly.

How to Choose Fresh Fish in 5 Articles?

• Fish is a food product that is sensitive to environmental influences. For this reason, consumers should purchase fish from places where they can be sure of food safety and freshness, where cold chain, regular icing and hygiene conditions are provided.
• The freshness of the fish can be recognized by its bright eyes, vibrant colors and light sea scent. The fish's eyes should be bright and clear, not dull. Dull or cloudy eyes indicate that the fish has lost its freshness.
• The gills of the fish should be clean and shiny.
• Fish are also affected by the ecosystem of the water in which they grow. One of the points that consumers should pay attention to when consuming healthy fish is that it contains heavy metals such as mercury, lead and cadmium at a level that will not harm human health and does not contain pests such as parasites. For this reason, reliable shopping addresses should be preferred.
• In order to pass on the fish in the seas to future generations, fish that comply with hunting and size prohibitions, that are known to be caught from which seas, by which fishermen, and when, and that are traceable, should be preferred.

It is Possible to Instantly Access 10 Different Information About Fish via QR Code

Metro Turkey, which broke new ground in our country and implemented the Fish Traceability project, which digitally presents the journey story of fish from net to plate, in 2017, offers 12 different information on marine fish with nearly 100 percent traceability with this industry-leading application. Thanks to QR code technology, which covers all fishermen, large, small and local, and thus makes it possible to provide transparent information about the entire production process of fish, information such as which sea, when, by which boat, with which fishing method the fish were caught and their nutritional values ​​are quickly and easily available. reaching! By scanning the QR code on product labels with their smartphone cameras, consumers can easily access the entire story of the fish from net to plate.

He stated that Metro Turkey, which sees fish not only as a commercial product but also as a value that should be left to the future, works to ensure the traceability and sustainability of fish. Deniz Alkaç, Member of the Board of Metro Turkey Responsible for Purchasing, “As a company that takes sustainability as a mission so that future generations can eat fish, we have responsibilities and projects we carry out. In 2010, we started the 'Take Care of Your Daughter, Take Your Mother' project, which is Turkey's first sustainable fishing project. With this project, in order to protect the species of bluefish, we decided not to sell bluefish fish under 24 cm, including bluefish and yellowfin, taking into account their reproductive length. Thus, we pioneered the sector and the legal regulations in this field. With our understanding of sustainability, leaving aside commercial concerns, we continue not to bring bluefish under 18 cm to our shelves, even though the legal limit is 24 cm. In addition, we aim to inform both consumers and professional customers about what is on their plates in fish, as in all food products we carry to our shelves. “What's on Your Plate?” "Within the scope of our project, we introduce our fish to our customers with traceability solutions, as well as red meat, honey, fruits & vegetables, our own branded organic food products, Geographically Indicated products and olive oil varieties, and share their journey from net to plate with transparency," he said.

Safely Offers More than 100 Types of Seafood

Emphasizing that as the purchasing team, they supply different seafood products not only from Turkey but also from all over the world and transport them to their shelves in the safest way. low, “Within the scope of our Global Fish and Aquaculture Purchasing Policy, we ensure that the 12 types of fish and aquatic products we sell most are supplied from suppliers with sustainability certificates. We became the first and only organization in Turkey with ASC-MSC CoC Group Certification in 2022, so that the products we offer for sale in bulk can be offered to customers as certified. Thus, we had the opportunity to certify to our consumers that we offer certified fish with guaranteed sustainability throughout the entire supply chain, and we encouraged them to make conscious purchases in this regard. We safely offer more than 100 types of seafood to our customers on our shelves. In addition to fish varieties such as anchovy, bonito, mullet, horse mackerel, sardine, chinekop and blue fish, we also offer seafood such as oysters, mussels, aquivades, octopus, squid, shrimp, lobster, cuttlefish, langoustine and crab to our customers in accordance with the Metro Method. "We invite everyone who wants to consume the seafood we offer on our shelves, knowing and trusting their source, in accordance with the catch and size bans, to Metro Turkey," he said.

Source: HORECA Trend and Metro Turkey