85 Percent Of Retailers Participate In Nationwide MSC Campaignff
9 July 2013
The Netherlands
A campaign designed to encourage consumers to make informed choices about the food they eat will promote sustainable wild and farmed seafood with the endorsement of MSC and ASC labeled products.
“Think Fish Week†has been announced for the second week of September and Dutch retailers have agreed to actively promote products with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) labels in a nationwide advertising campaign.
In the Netherlands, tuna is the second most popular seafood for consumption in the retail sector and currently supermarkets are marketing MSC skipjack from the Maldives canned in Mauritius and MSC Albacore caught in the USA and canned in Spain.
MSC labeled tuna can be found throughout the world with nine geographically spread tuna fisheries bearing the accreditation, responsible for catching around 550,000 tons of tuna. Although the largest one, that of the PNA free school skipjack, co-branded Pacifical, has not been launched on the shelves yet. One major Dutch retailer is eagerly waiting to do so.
Key tuna brands in the Netherlands such as John West and Princes both supply MSC tuna as part of their range of products, and will also be involved in the promotional campaign.
“Retailers have an important role to play in promoting sustainable seafood,†says Nicolas Guichoux, MSC Global Commercial Director. "By sourcing and promoting certified products they help their customers to make responsible choices when shopping for fish. It is wonderful to see our partners supporting the ‘Think Fish Week’ and actively promoting sustainable seafood.â€
Foodservice suppliers Sligro and Sodexo will also join the campaign that will see 85 percent of Dutch supermarkets supporting the first ‘Think Fish Week.’
Around 3,300 outlets will be promoting the MSC and ASC labeled products, which will include the Netherlands largest supermarket chain Albert Heijn and other chains such as Lidl, COOP and Spar.
