Supermarkets and sustainable fishing

MCS Sustainable Supermarket Survey - Supermarkets Tackling The Issue Of Sourcing Sustainable Fish

The latest Sustainable Supermarket League Table has recently been published by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) as part of its continuing Consumer Awareness campaign. The Table is based on the performance of the main UK supermarkets against various criteria, including the policies that shape their buying decisions and the sustainability of the fish they sell. Since last year's survey (published in March 2006) a number of fish identified by MCS as from unsustainable sources have been "delisted", or removed from sale by various supermarkets. Full details can be viewed at www.fishonline.org.

Waitrose and Marks and Spencer are placed jointly at the top of the League Table. Both companies are strongly committed to sustainability and have a reputation for only selling fish from responsibly managed fisheries. Tesco and Sainsbury’s are placed third and fourth respectively.

Marks and Spencer, Waitrose and Morrisons all have the distinction of not selling any fish from the MCS List of Fish to Avoid. Waitrose sells the greatest number of fish from the MCS Fish to Eat List (26 species), followed by Morrisons (22 species) and Tesco (20 species).

The MCS consumer awareness campaign continues to be immensely successful in achieving positive change. Many kinds of fish from over-exploited stocks have been removed from sale by a number of supermarkets, and the sale of fish products from sustainable sources has grown with the informed consumer's demand.

Species of concern still on sale in some supermarkets include marlin, Atlantic cod from overfished stocks such as the Eastern Baltic, plaice from the North Sea, warm-water prawns trawled in the wild, and Dover sole from the Eastern Channel.

Labelling of fish products is one area in particular where MCS considers all supermarkets could improve. MCS would like to see all fish products labelled with their common and scientific name; specific area and method of capture; and an indication of its sustainability through, for example, eco-labelling, allowing the consumer to make fully informed decisions about the seafood they buy. Morrisons has made significant improvements to it’s labelling of counter fish since last years survey which now includes scientific name and method of capture.

MCS Supermarket League Table 2007

First Place (Joint): Marks and Spencer, Waitrose
Third Place: Tesco
Fourth Place: Sainsbury’s
Fifth Place: ASDA
Sixth Place: Morrisons
Seventh place: Co-Op
Eighth Place: Iceland
No response received from: Somerfield