Mike Mitchell, who is head of seafood sustainability for Young’s was last week named a ‘Seafood Champion 2008’ by the Seafood Choices Alliance – the only UK representative in an international list of six seafood business leaders.

The awards were presented at a reception at the annual Boston Seafood Show.

Established in 2005, the annual Seafood Champion Awards are intended to recognise people who are advancing the market for eco-friendly seafood. Mike Boots, director of the Seafood Choices Alliance, said, “The 2008 Seafood Champions are taking sustainability to another level. Each one is a leader in their sector and the Alliance applauds their efforts to advance both an environmental and economic bottom line for their businesses, showing that the two goals go hand in hand around the globe.”

Mike Mitchell has worked with the Young’s business for nearly 25 years, becoming a skilled specialist in seafood quality and technical standards. More recently his work in the sustainable fisheries arena has led him to become an industry expert in this field, particularly on the issues of traceability and sustainability. He also bridges the science and fishing sectors through his work with the European Seafood Processors association (AIPCE).

He is now instrumental to the application of the Young's 'Fish for Life' programme - which is also now applied to Young's sister companies in the Foodvest Group, The Seafood Company and Findus in Scandinavia and France.

The Seafood Choices Alliance is an international association which aims to help everyone in the seafood industry – from fishermen and fish farmers to distributors, wholesalers, retailers and restaurants – to make the seafood marketplace environmentally and economically sustainable.

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Background notes
For more information on the Seafood Champion awards, please click here.

Foodvest is a £1.1BN, independently-owned European seafood and frozen food group. It is comprised of Young’s and the Seafood Company in the UK, together with Findus in Scandinavia and France.

Young’s is the UK’s leading seafood brand, with sales in excess of £300M a year. It is the key branded seafood business in Foodvest, which in the UK also encompasses The Seafood Company, a supplier of chilled own-label fish products.