UK retailer Waitrose has helped the Marine Stewardship Council to tip the balance on 9,000 ecolabelled products worldwide.
The 9,000th product is MSC ecolabelled Waitrose Oat Crumbed Scottish Mackerel Fillets. The mackerel is sourced from the Scottish Pelagic Sustainability Group western mackerel fishery, certified in 2008.
John Goodlad, Chairman of the SPSG, said: “The MSC certification is independent confirmation that the Scottish mackerel fishery is being managed in a sustainable and responsible way and that Scotland is helping to set the standard for well managed fisheries around the globe. MSC mackerel products sold in Waitrose are also a wonderful and tasty source of healthy Omega 3 fatty acids – all caught and processed in Scotland!”
Waitrose currently stocks over 30 MSC certified products ranging from South Africa hake fillets on the fish counter to luxury MSC certified Coquille Saint Jacques in the freezer department. Jeremy Langley, Waitrose Fish Buyer, said: “We are delighted to have played a role in helping the MSC to achieve this great result, which highlights how increasingly important it is to consumers and retailers alike that the fish they buy and sell is sustainable. Our Waitrose Sustainable Fishing Policy has been in place for over a decade and as part of this we have worked closely with the MSC to encourage consumers to make the most of fish such as mackerel which are plentiful and delicious too.”
