The opening shots in the now-traditional Christmas “lobster wars” have been fired as the first own-brand whole crustacean from a UK retailer to be certified as sustainable goes on sale at Lidl for less than a fiver.
The bargain “Christmas lobster” has been a favourite for a few years but, until now, the quality and taste have proved variable and shoppers have found it difficult to know if it is sustainably and ethically sourced.
This year, Lidl has joined forces with the Marine Stewardship Council to introduce the first own-brand whole lobster – a cooked and frozen product costing just £4.99 – approved as sustainably sourced. That is cheaper than its £5.99 lobster last year, which was not MSC-certified.
Supermarkets have ramped up their Christmas offerings with luxury food and drink including oysters, lobster, crab, Serrano and Ibérico ham, and champagne as they battle for Christmas custom with bargain basement prices.
The Lidl lobsters are fished off New Brunswick, Canada. Like many crustaceans (including the prawns and shrimps used for sushi), lobster freezes well and the New Brunswick lobsters are cooked and frozen locally before being shipped to the UK. The retailer is anticipating shoppers will stock up their freezers now in time for Christmas.
Rival Aldi will be selling MSC-approved lobster tails and (chilled) Canadian whole lobster, although not until 21 December.
• This article was amended on 4 November 2015 after the Marine Stewardship Council clarified that the Lidl lobster was not the first whole lobster to be ethically sourced, but the first own-brand whole lobster.
