Purina brought ocean restoration into central London, hosting a two-day pop-up oyster bar designed to show how oysters can help tackle declining marine habitats.
Rather than serving oysters to eat, the space demonstrated how they work in the wild - filtering sea water. Hundreds of visitors attended to see live sea water-filtration demos and hear from marine experts at Oyster Heaven about the success of large-scale reef restoration work as part of the collaboration with Purina in the Netherlands and the work underway in the UK. This includes plans to deploy four million oysters off the Norfolk coast as part of efforts to support biodiversity and improve water quality.
In partnership with marine conservation organisation, Oyster Heaven, Purina is supporting the restoration of native oyster reefs - a species once widespread in UK waters but now largely absent.
Native European oysters were once abundant along the UK coastline, but with the near disappearance of the species from UK waters in the past century, this ecosystem function has been lost. The reintroduction of four million oysters over the next couple of years, through building reefs is expected to significantly restore water clarity along the Norfolk Coast, while also boosting biodiversity.
One oyster is able to filter and clean up to 200 litres of seawater a day, and as the water clears, seagrass can grow, more marine life returns and entire habitats begin to recover. Cleaner waters support healthier ecosystems, stronger fish stocks and, ultimately, a more sustainable food system for pets and the people who love them.
Beyond oysters, Purina is also supporting projects that help restore kelp forests and seagrass meadows across Europe as part of its wider Ocean Restoration Programme.
Claire Robinson-Davies, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Director at Purina UK, said: “We use fish ingredients, primarily from highly nutritious fish by-products, in many of our recipes, so supporting the environments they come from matters to us. Through our work with Oyster Heaven, we’re proud to support the restoration of native oyster reefs off the Norfolk coast.
It was fantastic to bring the natural filtration power of oysters to life in central London and give people a rare, up-close view of the role they play beneath the surface of the sea - something most of us never get to see.”
Leodie Kruidhof, marine biologist at Oyster Heaven, added: “What really stood out from the event was just how engaged people were. Visitors were genuinely curious about how oysters work and why restoring them matters.
That level of interest is incredibly important. Projects like this rely not just on science and long-term investment from partners like Purina, but on public understanding and support. The more people connect with what’s happening beneath the surface, the more momentum we can build behind restoring these habitats over time.”
