Sainsbury’s is making progress to ensure the most popular fish eaten now can still be enjoyed in years to come. Our plans have been in place following claims from marine experts¹ that half of the world’s fish stocks are still at risk of depletion.
Sainsbury's is proud to be the largest UK retailer of MSC-certified sustainable fish and seafood products, with over 80 products which carry the MSC ecolabel. Our aim is to offer MSC-certified fish where it is available and where the product meets our strict quality standards. We've plans to significantly increase our certified offer in the next 12 months.
The ‘Big 5’ species (cod, haddock, salmon, tuna and prawns) remain the most popular fish eaten in the UK, accounting for 80% of all fish sold every week. Sainsbury’s is working to convert the 'Big 5' species to green rated (green rated is ‘sustainable’, red rated means 'major concern’, according to the Sainsbury’s decision tree; developed with key stakeholders within the fish industry).
This means moving cod, haddock, salmon, tuna and prawns to 100% sustainable sources, ensuring that the fish are caught or reared with minimal impact on stocks, eco-systems, and the wider environment.
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is the world’s leading independent certification and eco-labelling scheme for sustainable wild caught seafood. It works to promote the best environmental choice in seafood. When you see the MSC eco-label, you can be sure that you have found a product that’s been independently certified as being sustainable.
We are proud to say that Sainsbury’s is the UK’s largest retailer of MSC certified sustainable fish. We have over 75 MSC labelled fish products spanning all areas selling fish.
Sourced from Sainsbury's web site.