Sainsbury’s has been named the best sustainable seafood supermarket in the world in a survey published by the Marine Stewardship Council.
The annual supermarket league table from the international certification body – known for its blue “ecolabel” – rates British supermarkets on their sustainable seafood range. More than 300 fisheries in over 30 countries are certified to the MSC’s sustainable standard.
This year Sainsbury’s reached not only the top spot in Britain but also the number one position worldwide with the most MSC-labelled products of any national supermarket – a total of 225 MSC-certified sustainable choices. In contrast, rivals Asda and Morrisons lurk at the bottom of the league with only a handful of products.
“Most of us don’t have the time to read up on sustainable sourcing and we shouldn’t have to,” said MSC programme director Toby Middleton. “The MSC label means the ‘science bit’ has been done for you. Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Tesco, Lidl and Aldi are offering their customers clear labelling and the chance to make a difference, helping to protect fish stocks. In contrast, at the bottom of the league there simply isn’t the independent information you need to help you choose, and those shoppers are missing out.”
The biggest change since 2016 has been Tesco jumping seven places up the league to reach third place. Tesco has added nearly 80 MSC-certified products to its range in the past year, with plans to add further to its range in 2017. M&S, in contrast, has continued to slide down the league – it fell from third to fifth place last year and is down to seventh place in this year’s table.
The league shows a significant improvement in all of the top five supermarkets. Second-place Waitrose has a long-standing commitment to sustainable sourcing and is joined by discounters Lidl and Aldi in a group who now have two-thirds of their ranges MSC-labelled.
Middleton continued: “This growth in labelling is great news for the majority of British shoppers. Two-thirds of British supermarkets are making a real investment in the future of their seafood. If you’re buying MSC-labelled fish or seafood in one of these top-five supermarkets, you’re helping to make a positive difference to the world’s oceans.”
