Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
& Spencer launched its 5-year sustainability strategy - 'Plan A' - which includes a
target to source all wild fish from MSC or other independently certified sources by
2012 (M&S 2007). Many other retailers have indicated to their suppliers a 'buyer
preference' for MSC-labelled fish.
Elsewhere in Europe the trend is similar. In Germany, Metro, the world's third-
largest retailer, made a joint announcement with WWF Germany to increase avail-
ability of MSC-labelled seafood (Metro Group 2006). Deutsche See - Germany's
leading seafood supplier - launched a range of 19 MSC-labelled seafood prod-
ucts, and supermarkets Lidl and Aldi have all launched ranges of MSC-labelled
fish. In the Netherlands, the fishmonger chain Fishes offers seven species of MSC-
certified seafood - the widest range of MSC-certified species in the world - and
in Sweden several retailers and seafood brands have launched new MSC-labelled
products.
Interest in marine ecolabelling and certification and in the MSC in particular
also appears to have increased in the strategically important Japanese market. The
MSC opened its Tokyo office in May 2007 and a Japan Times article that month
reported that ecolabelling 'was catching on in Japan' with retailers and wholesalers.
Aeon, Japan's leading retailer, launched ten products from four certified fisheries
in 2006 and has plans to significantly increase both range and number of MSC
product lines. Labelled product is also available from Precce Premium, Kamewa
Shouten and the Wal-Mart-owned Seiyu. Two Japanese fisheries, the Kyoto
Prefecture flathead flounder and snow crab fisheries are also expected to complete
their assessment processes in 2007. Interest and demand for domestic certified and
ecolabelled product is anticipated to be very high which may encourage further in-
terest in the MSC programme from the Japanese industry - for both their domestic
and export markets.
4.7.2
Restaurants and foodservice
The MSC is also expanding its work with the foodservice industry. In the UK, a
project involving Brakes, a leading foodservice supplier, is bringing sustainable
seafood to the menus of school canteens. The project - Fish & Kids - also provides
allied educational materials for teachers to reinforce the sustainability message
in the classroom. A dedicated website (www.fishandkids.org) supports the project
and provides further teaching resources. Following the successful pilot of Fish &
Kids with 350 schools in Surrey, further local education authorities have taken part,
and MSC-labelled fish is now being regularly eaten by children at more than 1000
schools. We hope to see the replication of the programme throughout other schools
in England, and ultimately in other countries.
Independent restaurants, a bakery and a traditional seafront fishmonger in
Hastings (UK), have achieved chain-of-custody certification and now support
their local MSC-certified fisheries by serving or selling MSC-labelled fish to
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