What is MSC?

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an international non-profit organisation which sets globally recognised standards for sustainable fishing and seafood traceability.  The MSC’s mission is to end overfishing, and to ensure seafood supplies are safeguarded for this and future generations.  The blue MSC ecolabel on Sainsbury’s products means that our fish and seafood is wild, certified as sustainable and can be traced back to its source. 

What does the blue MSC ecolabel mean?

The blue MSC ecolabel on a fish or seafood product means it is fully traceable to a wild-catch fishery which has been independently assessed and certified to the MSC’s science-based standard for sustainable fishing. The MSC ecolabel and certification program recognises and rewards sustainable fishing practices and is helping create a more sustainable seafood market.

What does the blue MSC ecolabel mean to consumers?

When you buy fish or seafood with the blue MSC ecolabel, you can be sure that it comes from a sustainable wild source, and means you’re rewarding responsible sustainable fishing. Seafood with the blue MSC ecolabel can be traced all the way back to a well-managed, sustainable fishery, a win-win for you and for the ocean. 

When you purchase a product with the blue MSC ecolabel on it, you:
1. Can trust where the fish or seafood comes from
2. Are rewarding and incentivising sustainable fishing 
3. Are protecting fishermen’s livelihoods, communities and traditions  
4. Are ensuring there will be plenty of fish left in the sea
5. Are helping keep seafood on the plate for this and future generations

Why is MSC's work important?

Our oceans contain up to 80 percent of life on earth with an estimated 50-80 per cent of all animal life on earth found under ocean surface (Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations), with seafood providing an important source of protein to more than 3 billion people across the world.  However, a third of fisheries around the world have been fished beyond sustainable limits, and a further 60 per cent are fished to their maximum capacity.

Overfishing is a problem that affects us all. It threatens fish species, millions of jobs around the world, marine eco-systems, and the supply of seafood for future generations. Purchasing seafood with the blue MSC ecolabel means that customers can be sure their seafood comes from a sustainable, well-managed fishery which minimises its impact on the marine environment. 

Not only are customers rewarding sustainable fishing, but they are doing their part to protect the oceans and ensure there are fish left in the sea for future generations to enjoy. With oceans under threat from overfishing, plastic pollution and climate change, the choices we make as consumers has never been more important.

Sainsbury’s Commitment and engagement in Fisheries Improvements

Where fisheries are not yet MSC certified and where improvement in practice or management are required to enable fisheries to meet the standard, we work with our suppliers and other stakeholders to develop and implement structed projects which will deliver the necessary improvements in a realistic timescale – Fisheries Improvement Projects or FIPs. We are also engaged in a number of industry organisations designed to facilitate and deliver improvements where wider engagements are required, e.g. in tuna fisheries which are fished by vessels from a number of different countries.

• Project UK - a collaborative partnership working towards an environmentally sustainable future for UK fisheries through the implementation of credible Fishery Improvement Projects. Sainsbury’s is a Project UK partner and working to deliver MSC certified Scallops, Langoustines (scampi), Plaice, Lemon Sole, Monkfish and Crab.

• Global Tuna Alliance - an independent group of retailers and tuna supply chain companies working collectively to generate a step-change in sustainable tuna management across the world.

• North Pelagic Advocacy Group - formed by retailers and processors from across the UK and Europe to consider how the supply chain could drive improvements in the management of pelagic fisheries, including mackerel, in the NE Atlantic thus enabling certification to the MSC standard.

More on sustainable fish