Princes Removes Environment Claim From Label, Dolphin Friendly Logo Staysff
14 January 2011
United Kingdom
By Atuna
After a criminal complaint filed by Greenpeace earlier this week UK leading canned tuna seller Princes will adjust labels on its new cans and remove the claim that the brand is ‘fully committed to fishing methods that protect marine environment and marine life’. A spokeswoman of London-based Princes headquarters stated, however, that Princes will keep the ‘Dolphin friendly’ logo on its cans.
In an official statement Princes told: “We are aware of recent criticism of the statement that is currently on Princes’ tuna labels which refers to our commitment to fishing methods that protect the marine environment and marine life. This statement was originally introduced following our decision to support the Earth Island Institute (EII) international monitoring program, which led to the introduction of the ‘Dolphin Friendly’ logo on our products.â€
“We had committed last year to conduct a review of our labels. This review has now taken place and we will be removing the statement from all new packaging.’’
“Whilst we have been advised that our current statement does not breach labelling regulations, as a result of our review and from listening to recent feedback, the statement will be replaced with information that will direct consumers to view our full sustainable seafood statement online.â€
Asked by Atuna, a spokeswoman stated that all cans that already have been distributed will remain as they are. All new labels will feature the updated statement. She also stated that Princes’ seafood sustainability statement was last updated in autumn 2010, after recommendations made by a sustainability committee of Princes. The ‘Dolphin Friendly’ logo will stay on the cans. In its website published ‘Wild Caught Sustainable Seafood Statement’ Princes states it still supports the EII monitoring program. Additionally it undertook recently an initiative with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
The relabeling followed a criminal complaint of Greenpeace against Mitsubishi-owned Princes after publishing an extensive report on tinned tuna in the UK. According to Greenpeace Princes is misleading consumers of canned tuna with its statement on the labels because of the massive sea life destruction through bycatch of other species in the process of catching the tuna used for their canning. The UK market counts for more than one third of the total EU canned tuna imports and as such is an important spearhead in a Greenpeace campaign to get tuna canned fishing more sustainable. The Greenpeace report mentions the use of the floating Fish Aggregating Devices (FAD’s) in the purse seine catch as the main cause of the unsustainable character of tuna used for canning.
