Eroski has become the first Spanish retailer to carry Marine Stewardship Council-certified fresh fish.
The retailer now offers its customers fresh Skrei cod and three lines of packaged hake (breaded fillets, hamburgers and fish fingers), all of which all carry the MSC eco-label.
The hake is from the certified South African fishery, while Skrei cod is a migratory species that travels from the Barents Sea to the north of Norway to spawning areas off the Lofoten islands in the Arctic Circle. The Skrei cod fishery obtained MSC sustainable fishing certification in 2011.
Eroski Consumer carried out a survey of more than 31,000 of its readers on seafood consumption habits in Spain. Almost all respondents stated that they preferred fish caught using environmentally friendly methods, but only 43 percent could mention a specific practice or initiative. Nearly 50 percent of respondents said they support sustainable sourcing of products.
“The conclusion we can take from this study is that there is a clear need to support and publicize sustainable fishing initiatives, because consumers value them even when they don’t know all the details,” said Alejandro Martinez Berriochoa, Enroksi Consumer director.
Eroski has a network of more than 2,200 establishments in Spain, including Eroski hypermarkets, Eroski Centre supermarkets, Caprabo supermarkets, and Eroski City and Aliprox supermarket franchises.
