Eroski has become the first Spanish retailer to carry fresh fish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.
Eroski offers customers fresh Skrei cod and three lines of packaged hake (breaded fillets, hamburgers and fish fingers), all top-quality fish certified against the MSC standard.
The hake is from the certified South African fishery, while Skrei cod is a migratory species which travels each year from the Barents Sea, to the north of Norway, to spawning areas off the Lofoten islands, in the Arctic Circle. After its voyage, Skrei is fished at the best possible moment, when its flesh is lean and firm. The Skrei cod fishery obtained MSC sustainable fishing certification in 2011.
Each piece of Skrei cod is identified with a tag which shows the origin label of Norge (Norwegian Seafood Export Council) on one side and the environmental MSC label on the other side below the name of the suppliers (Leroy and Norway Seafoods).
The Skrei season runs from January to April and guarantees maximum freshness, as the time from sea to packaging - in the fjords, by the coast - is very short.
Eroski Consumer has carried out a survey of over 3,100 of its readers on fish-eating habits in Spain. The survey reveals interesting information with regard to sustainable fishing. Almost all respondents stated that they preferred fish caught using environmentally-friendly methods, although only 43% could mention any specific practice or initiative. This shows that consumers would value more information about sustainable fishing, which provides an opportunity for commercial, government and not-for-profit organisations to help raise awareness and understanding.
The survey concludes that consumers balance environmental concerns with cost considerations, as only half of consumers state that they would be willing to pay a little more for sustainable fish; the others would only prefer it at the same price.
“The conclusion we can take from this study is that there is a clear need to support and publicise sustainable fishing initiatives, because consumers value them even when they don’t know all the details”, Alejandro Martínez Berriochoa, Director of Eroski Consumer.
