This month’s Frieze Art Fair in London sees the world’s first QR-code sushi firmly on the menu. A select number of art lovers will be invited to take part in a trial, scanning edible QR-codes on their salmon bento boxes to discover the sustainability story behind their sushi.
The trial, which has been created by seafood certification and ecolabelling programme, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), aims to encourage consumers to utilise smartphone technology to join the debate. This activity celebrates the 10,000th piece of MSC certified sustainable salmon sushi jumping off the conveyor belt at leading restaurant Moshi Moshi this week.
Select Frieze attendees will be invited to ‘get the story behind their dish’ by scanning edible QR codes placed on salmon sushi in bento boxes served at the Moshi Moshi pop up restaurant at the fair. The restaurant will also feature a specially-commissioned QR code artwork made of nori. Scanning the QR-code will take them through to specially-created video content from the Marine Stewardship Council. The QR-codes are made from rice paper and squid ink so they can be scanned and then eaten.
The scannable sushi is being trialled at Frieze (11 to 14 October) with a view to rolling it out to Moshi Moshi’s restaurant in Liverpool Street in future, offering diners the world’s first interactive sushi.
Toby Middleton, UK & RoI Country Manager, Marine Stewardship Council, commented: “We can all help to shape the future of the world around us, simply by making positive choices with the fish we eat. Just looking out for the blue Marine Stewardship Council ecolabel on restaurant menus and food packaging can have a really positive impact and that’s the message that we want people to take away from this activity.
“We are always looking for new and unusual ways to get people excited about the issues behind ocean sustainability. Sushi is an art form in itself and Frieze is the perfect backdrop for this simple, yet stunning campaign.”
Moshi Moshi owner Caroline Bennett has been at the forefront of sustainable fishing from a restaurant point of view for the past four and a half years and was one of the first sushi restaurateurs to put MSC sustainability certification on menus, helping customers to make better decisions about where their food comes from.
She commented: “We’re very proud to have sold 10,000 pieces of MSC certified sustainable sushi over the past four years and wanted to reward customers, old and new, with something unique and exciting, something this scannable sushi undoubtedly is. If Frieze art lovers get a taste for this we will consider roll-out to the restaurant in future.”
