Why is every fillet vac-packed in plastic?

One of our most common complaints is about the plastic we use to vac-pack Springhills fish.

Vac-packing was a hard decision for us, because we avoid plastic on the farms. We don’t allow disposable water bottles, we pay extra for a special feed bag recycling program, and we look for every opportunity to reduce and re-use.

Unfortunately without vac-packing, fish just spoils too quickly. 🙁

Trout and salmon have such a high oil content that they can go rancid in 3 months without vac-packing, plus freezer burn sets in. ☃️

Although we sell fish right after harvest, we learned it can sit in your freezer for awhile. Before vac-packing, we got complaints of off-tasting and freezer burnt fish. (And it breaks our heart when we hear of our fish being thrown away!)

Last year we experimented with water glazing to see if that would hold in freshness, but it changed how the fillets looked. We saw a flood of complaints from people who wouldn’t eat it because it looked strange, and it wouldn’t sell on store shelves.

Also if we don’t use vac-bags, our food safety inspectors require us to seal the fish in a poly bag or plastic-lined cardboard box. It’s a bit of a “darned if you do, darned if you don’t” scenario. 🤦

Sadly, the fish at the grocery store isn’t as waste-free as it may appear. Fresh fish arrives in plastic bags inside styrofoam boxes, neither of which are recyclable. Plus reports show that stores throw out 13 – 30% of fresh fish because it spoils before it can be sold. (That means 2 fillets of fish are discarded for every 5 sold.) 😭

Talking about waste is never fun, but we’ll end with three reasons to feel good about buying Springhills fish:

1. No fish is being wasted. When you buy frozen fish, you get to enjoy 100% of the product at 100% of its freshness! 😋
2. Your vac-bag may be recyclable, depending where you live. We searched far and wide for recyclable vac bags. ♻️
3. And when you buy local, you’re keeping emissions low. 🌎