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Natalia Freitas, reporting for Atuna.com
A British report concludes that the large variety of seafood eco-labels is causing consumer’s confusion and leading shoppers to leave the sustainability decision to retailers.
According to the report called Review of Fish Sustainability Information Schemes, although there is increasing awareness and demand from consumers for sustainable seafood, most of the drive for improving sourcing policies has come from within the industry itself.
Retailers can have a considerable influence over consumers’ choices and have the potential to contribute in raising consumer awareness of fish sustainability issues, through some actions such as:
-Withdrawing certain products - some stores have removed threatened and overexploited fish species from their shelves and have instead increased their supply of sustainable species
- Committing to 100% sustainable sourcing; and
- Increasing the minimum size of the fish caught to be sold in their stores;
However, these types of commitment have drawn attention to a problem already recognized by many in the industry: the limited quantity of certified sustainable product that is available on the market.
Wal-Mart had to modify its promise of sourcing 100% MSC certified seafood by 2011 because there is not enough volume of MSC labelled fish to supply all of their product lines and stores.
The world’s largest retailer decided to develop its own eco-label for fish products in order to have more control over processes, but that action of adding another eco-labels has only contributed to more consumer confusion.
Consumer awareness about fish sustainability issues is increasing but is still relatively low in relation to other environmental and ethical issues.
According to the report, ethically-produced or sourced products have a low priority for consumers in their purchasing decisions; Energy-efficient products come on top of their list.
When considering seafood specifically, sustainability tends to figure low on consumers’ priorities as well. Price, best before date, freshness, physical appearance and food safety were all identified as more important than sustainability.
On the other hand, consumers who want to make ethical purchasing decisions are faced with an excess of eco-labels. This results in mixed messages which can be difficult for the consumer to navigate their way through.
Labels should have clear meanings and transmit reliable information in order to facilitate purchasing decisions rather than undermine their confidence in the information they are receiving.
The report concludes that In the face of so many messages and labels, many consumers are likely to leave the choice to the retailer, and may automatically expect their supermarket to stock only legally-caught and sustainable fish and seafood.
When asked the question of whom should be responsible for ensuring the sustainability of fish stocks, most consumers do not take responsibility, instead expecting government and industry to take the lead.
For more information, check out the report at Atuna.com.