Strong Demand For MSC Canned Tuna In Germanyff

By Atuna.com

The sustainable seafood trend has been catching on globally for some time now, but retailers and consumers in Germany have been ahead of the curve. Since 2005, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) eco-label has shown tremendous growth in the German market and it continues to be a prominent identifier on sustainable seafood products. With the current limited availability of MSC certified tuna, there is clearly one void in the market and it’s expected to be filled by certified canned skipjack later this year.

As the leading country with the most MSC certified products, almost all of the major German food retailers have made sustainable commitments to meet the huge consumer demand. In the last four years, the development of MSC-labeled products for sale in Germany has grown considerably from 200 in 2008 to over 4,000 to date.

Widely regarded as a rigorous and robust eco-label standard, all MSC products can be traced back to a sustainable fishery that has been certified by an independent, third-party.

Major retailers that are engaged in the MSC program include the Schwarz group with the Lidl and Kaufland chains, the Rewe group with their Rewe, Penny and Toom stores, the Edeka group with Edeka and Netto, both Aldi Nord and Süd, the Metro group with Metro Cash & Carry and Real, as well as Kaiser's Tengelmann, Globus and Tegut.

“The retail chains are keen to be seen as responsible members of society,” says Marnie Bammert, MSC’s country manager for Germany. As the country’s retail sector is dominated mostly by chains, she adds there are not many independent small retailers that need to be convinced.

The popularity of MSC in Germany can also be attributed to consumer awareness, she says. According to Bammert, 55% of German consumers have seen the MSC logo before and 23% of those can correctly describe it as a mark for sustainability. “German consumers are very receptive to environmental messages.”

Tuna is the third most consumed species in Germany, following Alaska pollock and herring, says Bammert. She considers MSC certified tuna to be “niche” products because so far, only canned albacore has the approved blue-and-white fish logo.

That might change before the end of 2012, though. Earlier this year, the free school skipjack fisheries of the PNA countries gained MSC certification. The fishery supplies about half of the global skipjack catch and MSC-labelled, canned skipjack tuna is expected to hit store shelves later this year.

“The German retailers treat canned tuna like any other fish product, meaning they are keen to find sources that are considered sustainable and most would prefer to be able to mark their tuna cans with the MSC ecolabel,” says Bammert.