Sustainable seafood in the spotlight at Albert Heijn
Mar 13, 2012
This week Dutch retailer Albert Heijn has launched its third in-store campaign promoting MSC-labelled, sustainably sourced seafood under its private label AH pure&honest (puur&eerlijk) in stores throughout the Netherlands. Point-of-sale materials such as shelf signs and on-pack booklets will raise shopper awareness and help consumers make a sustainable choice when buying seafood. The campaign is supported by a sustainable seafood recipe contest for shoppers and employees, a consumer event on March 17th at an Albert Heijn XL store in Muiden (near Amsterdam) and online communications.
Albert Heijn and MSC join forces to help consumers get involved
For the third time, the campaign brings together AH puur&eerlijk, leading retailer Albert Heijn’s umbrella brand for sustainable products and the Marine Stewardship Council. The campaign aims to increase sales of MSC labelled seafood. More than 800 Albert Heijn shops nationwide will take part in this campaign with a wide range of MSC labelled products on display. As part of the in-store promotions, consumers are also informed about the impact their choice of sustainably-caught seafood can have upon the future of the oceans and global fish stocks.
MSC certified sustainable seafood at Albert Heijn
Albert Heijn launched its very first MSC labelled products in 2009. It has since then widened its range and is now offering 28 MSC labelled products in its refrigerated and fresh section under the category AH puur&eerlijk sustainable fish. Albert Heijn offers the largest volume of MSC labelled retailers' private label products in The Netherlands. "At Albert Heijn we are committed to supporting sustainable fisheries. By continuously expanding our AH puur&eerlijk sustainable fish range we offer our customers a wide choice in MSC certified seafood. We also see that customer interest in sustainable fish is growing”, explains Sanne Zwinkels, Brand Manager AH puur&eerlijk. “To boost their customer appeal still further we are offering a 25 per cent discount on AH puur&eerlijk sustainable fish products this week. AH customers can also send in their favourite sustainable fish recipe online via www.ah.nl/vis to have a shot at winning a dinner for two in a MSC certified restaurant. The winning recipe will be placed on our website."
Healthy future of the oceans
Recent independent surveys show that Dutch consumers are very well aware of the MSC eco-label and are increasingly motivated to choose sustainably sourced products. “In-store marketing is an important driver for consumer awareness and changing shopper behavior”, Nathalie Steins, MSC Manager Benelux points out. “Market leaders such as Albert Heijn are among businesses helping grow the global market for sustainable seafood. This campaign will encourage consumers to look out for sustainably-sourced seafood products. The more people choose MSC labelled seafood, the more fisheries are encouraged to transform their business to a sustainable basis and this, in turn, will help to protect fish stocks worldwide. ”
To view the list of AH puur&eerlijk MSC labelled products at Albert Heijn shops in The Netherlands, please visit the online MSC sustainable seafood product finder.
About Albert Heijn and AH pure&honest
Albert Heijn is the leading retailer in The Netherlands with a market share of 33.5%. It operates 835 stores. 8 out of 10 households visit the AH. AH has the biggest trade share private label: 35%. Albert Heijn is initiator of the ‘Catch from close by project’. They are working with a group of fishermen from the north of The Netherlands and the MSC certified auction Hollands Noorden and their supplier Marine Harvest to get good quality sustainable catch of plaice in the Albert Heijn stores. See for more information www.ah.nl
AH puur&eerlijk (pure & honest) is a line of private label products of Albert Heijn that were launched in May 2009. AH puur&eerlijk offers products in five different categories: ecologically produced, environmentally produced, organically produced, fairtrade and sustainable fishing. In the sustainable fish category only MSC certified is sourced for wild caught fish. See for more information www.ah.nl/puureneerlijk and www.ah.nl/puureneerlijk/duurzamevis
More information
MSC Regional Office The Hague: media.nl@msc.org or +31 (0)70 3605979
Albert Heijn : contact department media relations, tel: +31 (0)75-659 5050 or e-mail: pers@ah.nl
