Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group (SSMG) rope grown mussels are the first farmed seafood in the UK to be awarded Friend of the Sea (FoS) certification.
SSMG's eco-labelled mussels are now on sale in Waitrose stores.
There are 14 mussel farms in the SSMG group, which are located on the Scottish west coast and Shetland. SSMG represents about 70% of total Scottish mussel production.
Mussels from SSMG are collected naturally as tiny free-swimming larvae or spat from the sea on lines suspended in open water. They then grow naturally by feeding on plankton carried by the rich currents found around the Scottish west coast and Shetland.
Stephen Cameron, MD of SSMG, said: “Friend of the Sea is a leading independent certification body and to have achieved accreditation from such a prestigious organisation is a major milestone for us. We are delighted that Waitrose is now selling Friend of the Sea certified mussels from our farms and are confident that it will aid their customers in making informed choices when purchasing seafood.”
