One of the first Cuban bar-restaurants to open in the UK has become the first to serve Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified, sustainable fish to its customers.
The award-winning bar-restaurant, Cubana London, which officially launched its second site today, Cubana Smithfield, will now serve MSC sustainable Veracruz cod to Waterloo and Smithfield locals, as well as anyone else who wants to visit.
Pioneers
Cubana are pioneers in many ways and with the claim of introducing Mojitos to the UK in the 1990s they are not shy to talk about it. They are also no strangers to ethically sourcing food and have been awarded an RSPCA award for their ethical sourcing policies.
Ex-politician turned businessman and founder of Cubana, Phillip Oppenheim, says: “We're delighted to have received our MSC certification. Cubana has always had a 100% free-range policy and it's great that we can now match that ethos with a sustainable policy on wild fish. MSC certification was the best next step for us. The process is rightly a rigorous one and we very much appreciate the help the MSC's people gave us to achieve certification.
We would highly recommend that anyone in the restaurant business makes the effort to get certified.”
George Clark, UK Commercial Manager at the MSC says: “It’s brilliant to have yet another exciting restaurant using the MSC ecolabel in London. Cubana Smithfield and Cubana Waterloo are a great addition to the family of MSC certified restaurants at the wave crest of providing their diners with sustainable choices when eating out. I’ve already tried their MSC cod and it’s delicious. I encourage you all to go and try it too!”
Veracruz is a delicious spicy and tangy Cuban sauce.
From Parliament to sustainable fish
Phillip started his career as a businessman before moving into Parliament in the 1980s, where he gained a reputation for championing animal welfare issues, including opposing fox hunting, strong free-market and free trade as a Conservative MP. He spent time as a Treasury minister where he tightened restrictions on imports of endangered species and introduced tax breaks on less-polluting fuels. He also resisted campaigns to loosen restrictions on imports of trapped fur. Phillip also found the time to channel his expertise on trade policy into writing two award-winning books at the same time.
In 1997, Phillip left Parliament to become a columnist for The Sunday Times and other newspapers and founded Cubana, where he was credited for introducing Mojitos to the UK.
About MSC
MSC is the world’s leading non-profit, ecolabelling programme for sustainable seafood. The MSC ecolabel gives shoppers and diners an independent assurance that their fish was sourced sustainably, and is traceable from ocean to plate.