Sainsbury’s has been named the "best sustainable seafood supermarket in the world" in a league table published today. The annual MSC Supermarket League rates British supermarkets on their sustainable seafood range. Sainsbury’s reached the top spot in Britain and the top spot worldwide with the most MSC labelled products of any national supermarket with 225 MSC certified sustainable choices. In contrast, rivals ASDA and Morrisons are at the bottom of the league with only a handful.
MSC Programme Director, Toby Middleton explains: “It’s all about choice. Most of us don’t have the time to read up on sustainable sourcing and we shouldn’t have to. 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 for our children and our grandchildren. 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.”
Tesco up, Marks and Spencer down
The biggest change since 2016 has been Tesco which has rocketed four places up the league to reach an impressive third place. Tesco has added nearly 80 MSC certified products to its range in the past year, with plans to add further to their range in 2017. M&S, in contrast has continued to slide down the league falling from 3rd to 5th place last year and down to 7th place in this year’s league table.
Improved ranges
The league table shows a huge 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.
Toby Middleton continues: “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.”