Canning companies Bolton Food, Salica and Atunlo are now supplying consumers in the US and Italy with produce certified to the tuna from responsible fishing (APR) standard promoted by OPAGAC.
Alongside the canning companies, Spanish firm, La Piara, is soon to begin using only tuna from responsible fishing in those of its fish pâtés which contain tuna.
Consumers are more and more aware of where their food comes from but choosing sustainable produce is not always straightforward. “We consumers are increasingly willing to support buying products that we can be sure are sustainable and responsible, but now the last hurdle we’re facing is for big distribution to commit to including these values in its supply chain,” said Julio Morón, managing director of OPAGAC.
“This means the European Union and member states have got to set a standard of comprehensive sustainability so that all fleets play by the same rules, and they’ve got to shut the European market’s doors to fishery products caught by the fleets of countries that aren’t committed to upholding that standard,” continued Julio Morón.
In 2019 Spanish consumers became the first in the world who could buy tins of tuna bearing the APR seal, a voluntary certification initiated by the Spanish tuna fleet which exceeds the legal requirements for sustainable and accountable standards. The fleet now has a total of 65 certified vessels, making up more than 10% of the world’s tropical tuna fleet.
