German supermarket Netto’s Las Cuarenta paella has been named the 20,000th product to carry Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, awarded to seafood products that meet the council’s supply-chain requirements in terms of sustainability.
The paella’s seafood mix comes from a diverse range of fisheries from around the world, each of which is committed to ensuring the health and sustainability of the fish stocks it harvests. It contains pollock from Alaska and Russia, blue-shell mussels from Denmark, and shrimp from Suriname.
MSC’s global commercial director, Nicolas Guichoux, commented, “Over the last decade, we’ve seen new and novel ways [in which] MSC-certified seafood is being used; from ready-made meals, such as paella, to sandwiches, pizza and baby food. Las Cuarenta paella is a fine example of how retailers and manufacturers are exploring new trends to attract more sustainable-seafood lovers.”
Guichoux added that just nine years ago, there were only 1,000 MSC-labelled products on the market, and that the work of over 280 fisheries has led to a wide range now being available in over 100 countries.
“So we celebrate this new important milestone, and honour all fisheries and retail partners whose commitment to sustainability has contributed to the growth of the MSC programme around the world and played a part in securing a healthy future for our oceans,” he added.
The corporate communications director at Netto, Christina Stylianou, said, “We are very proud that the 20,000th MSC-labelled product is a Netto product.
“With the growing availability of MSC-certified seafood from a variety of species, we’ve been able to expand our range of products so that our customers can buy their favourite seafood in the knowledge that the environment is being safeguarded.”
According to the MSC, its blue label guarantees that the fish that consumers are buying comes from a sustainable fishery that has been independently certified, ensuring that it protects fish populations and the ecosystem upon which they depend.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Jenny Whelan. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
