Auchan’s Spanish subsidiary, Alcampo, has launched sustainable canned tuna certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) under its private-label brand in Spain.
The skipjack tuna originates from the Indian Ocean and is caught by the Basque fishing company Pesqueras Echebastar, which earned its sustainable fishing certification in 2018.
The fleet consists of six purse-seiner ships that land the tuna in the Seychelles islands and elsewhere in the Indian Ocean.
The product comes in a tri-pack with sunflower oil and a blue label that certifies its sustainability.
‘Sustainability Of Fishing Resources’
Yolanda Fernández, Alcampo’s CSR and external communications director, said, “The addition of this MSC-certified tuna is an example of Alcampo’s commitment to environmentally friendly SKUs. It is also the evidence of the need to create alliances and co-develop actions towards the sustainability of fishing resources, together with key actors such as the Marine Stewardship Council [MSC] and our provider and ally Frinsa del Noroeste.”
“We need top brands that deliver sustainable tuna to consumers and help society to practise responsible consumption of this symbolic species, which is regularly in our shopping basket. We congratulate Alcampo for its innovative step in betting on the MSC blue seal for tuna under its private label,” added Laura Rodríguez Zugasti, director of MSC, Spain and Portugal.
Tuna Consumption In Europe
Spain is one of the countries with the highest tuna consumption in Europe, at about 135 million kilograms per year and per-capita consumption of canned tuna at 2.4 kilograms, according to Mercasa, a government-backed consultancy.
Spain currently boasts approximately 174 canned, fresh and frozen SKUs featuring the MSC blue seal.
Alcampo noted that sales of sustainable tuna are on the rise, with 58% of global tuna captures covered by the MSC programme.
As a result, the number of brands and retailers of MSC-certified tuna has increased from around 126 brands in 2015 to 430 in 2022.
Furthermore, MSC has upgraded its requirements relating to fish-aggregating devices, interaction with threatened and protected species, and shark finning, and introduced new harvest control rules.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest private-label news. Article by Amanda Merchán. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
