Sainsbury's and M&S top for sustainable seafood
The Marine Conservation Society has released its latest Supermarket Seafood Survey. But some supermarkets refused to take part.
Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s have topped the latest Supermarket Seafood Survey from the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).
The survey assesses the sustainability of seafood sold in supermarkets, based on criteria including sources, policies and labelling.
The Co-operative came second, with Waitrose in third place.
Morrisons, Iceland and Booths were the only other supermarkets to participate.
Tesco and Aldi declined to take part, while Asda, Budgens, Lidl and Spar didn’t even respond to the survey.
Fishy issues
Iceland and Booths were criticised for selling too many fish from the MCS’s 'Fish to Avoid' list and not improving their sources since the last survey.
Traceability is also an issue, with MCS Fisheries Officer Samuel Stone saying: “In many cases seafood has a longer supply chain than meat. We know that some fish caught in UK waters is then sent halfway across the world, often to Asia, to be processed and then transported back here and sold in our supermarkets.”
There was also criticism of the labelling of seafood at all the major supermarkets.
Better news
However, there has been an improvement in the standard of seafood available, with Iceland and Booths scoring well in this area.
The survey also revealed that nearly half of the seafood sold in the UK is now from farmed sources.
The MCS says shoppers should vote with their feet and buy their seafood from the top-performing supermarkets.
If you want to check the sustainability of the fish you’re buying, you can go to the MCS’s Good Fish Guide or download its smartphone apps.
Where do you buy your fish? Do you deliberately pick sustainable species? Let us know your take in the comments box below.
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