Sainsbury's leading the way
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.
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) by 2010.
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. Sainsbury’s has also doubled it's sales of MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) fish year on year since 2007/8, and continues to be the number one retailer of MSC fish.
Sustainable Salmon - the UK’s most popular fish
The first initiative to tackle the ‘
Big 5’ species has seen Sainsbury’s convert its biggest-selling fish, salmon, to those reared to RSPCA standards. Sainsbury’s sells more
salmon than any other supermarket accounting for 25% of all
salmon sold in the UK².
Sainsbury’s farmed salmon is reared on farms inspected by Freedom Food to strict RSPCA welfare standards, meaning a higher level of animal welfare. The salmon is 100% sourced from dedicated farms in Scotland. The farms use responsible management techniques to help protect and maintain the natural environment and only the cleanest and fastest flowing water sites have been selected.
The fish are fed on a diet designed to protect natural resources from over fishing, while guaranteeing superior taste and maximum nutritional benefit. One portion of salmon provides the weekly requirement of Omega-3.
Justin King, Sainsbury’s chief executive, said: “We’ve spent the last two years encouraging customers to try different fish by offering an in-season fish every month with recipe ideas, but the fact is most of our customers like to eat the top ‘Big 5’ species, so we need to continue making them sustainable to eat as well as encouraging people to try different fish.
“We sell the most salmon out of any retailer in the UK, so focusing on this first has made a significant difference. It's market leading because it addresses issues such as unsustainable feed and how the fish is reared. Plus it’s regionally sourced and healthy. But just as important is that independent tests have selected this specially grown salmon as the tastiest, and many customers wanting all of this on a budget, can buy our ‘basics responsibly sourced salmon’ without having to worry about how the fish was sourced.”
Alice Clark, an RSPCA Farm Animal Scientist, said: "This is a big leap forwards for salmon farmed to higher welfare standards. The RSPCA standards for farmed salmon require appropriate space for the fish to swim in and ensure that they are handled, transported and killed humanely. The use of growth promoters or genetic modification is not allowed. All Freedom Food members are subject to annual assessments by specially trained assessors, random spot checks by RSPCA farm livestock officers and traceability checks are carried out on products carrying the logo from supermarket shelf back to farm.
Sainsbury’s cleaning up the ‘big five fish
Salmon
- 100% of Sainsbury’s fresh farmed Salmon is from farms approved by Freedom Food.
- All Sainsbury’s fresh farmed salmon is 100% Scottish, sourced from Scottish sites with the lowest environmental impact
- Sainsbury’s has removed all endangered species from salmon feed
- Sainsbury’s is working with the MSC to convert all fish feed to MSC or green status by the end of 2010
- Use of anti-foulants on nets will be completely phased out by 2012, there are already a number of sites with no anti-foulants
- 100% of Sainsbury’s fresh wild Salmon comes from MSC sources
- By the end of 2009, all Sainsbury's tinned salmon will be from MSC certified sources.
Cod
- All Sainsbury’s fresh and frozen cod is environmentally-responsible line caught methods
- Line catching reduces by-catch by 90%, no juvenile fish are caught which protects fish stocks
- Fish is better quality as fish are less stressed and do not suffer from compression damage from nets
- Ships use less fuel to catch a tonne of fish
- Sainsbury’s was the first retailer to sell MSC Pacific cod.
Haddock
- All Sainsbury’s fresh and frozen haddock is caught from the environmentally-responsible line caught method.
- Sainsbury’s has converted all frozen and breaded haddock to line catching methods
- In June 2009, Sainsbury's became the first UK retailer to sell MSC certified fresh smoked haddock.
Prawns
- Sainsbury’s will move all its fresh, pre-pack and frozen cold-water prawns to either MSC certified or green rated sources by the end of 2009
- Sainsbury’s is working closely with warm-water prawn farmers to develop a feed that achieves green status by the end of 2010
- Sainsbury’s recently held a conference with its warm-water prawn suppliers to encourage more sustainable production of the species
Tuna
- Sainsbury’s was the first major retailer to move 100% of its tinned tuna to pole and line caught methods
- Sainsbury’s will make its tuna green rated by the end of 2010
- All of Sainsbury's fresh and frozen tuna is line caught
- Sainsbury’s was the first retailer to sell MSC albacore tuna in a jar
- Sainsbury’s is working hard with suppliers, fishermen, vessel owners and the Governments in supplier countries to make fresh and tinned tuna fully MSC certified.
Foot note:
* 1 According to the FAO (Food and Aquaculture organisation) around half of the world's fish stocks are fully exploited and nearly a quarter are over-exploited, causing concern over the ability of wild captured fisheries to increase production in order to meet the planet's growing demand for food. In recent years, aquaculture has proven to be an increasingly important contributor to human food supplies. The FAO state that aquaculture is one of the fastest growing sources of animal protein in the world and now supplies us with about a third of the fish which we eat.
2. Volume sales, data source: TNS Worldpanel 52 weeks to 16 May 2009.
Freedom Food is a non-profit making charity set up by the RSPCA in 1994 to improve animal welfare. All farm animals under the Freedom Food scheme must be reared according to strict RSPCA welfare standards. These species-specific standards cover each stage of an animal or bird’s life including handling and transportation.
