Aldi leads all other grocery chains in the United Kingdom in the percentage of the seafood it sells that is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.
MSC’s annual Supermarket Sustainable Seafood League report, which rates British supermarkets on their sustainable seafood range, found nearly 80 percent of Aldi’s seafood range is MSC-certified.
The report found MSC’s penetration into U.K. supermarkets is up by 60 percent over the last two years.
“The majority of British supermarkets are making a real investment in the future of their seafood. If you’re buying MSC-labeled fish or seafood in one of these top five supermarkets, you’re helping to make a positive difference to the world's oceans,” MSC Program Director Toby Middleton said in a press release.
After Aldi, Sainsbury’s stocks the most MSC-certified products at 76 percent of all of its seafood, the report found. Lidl carries 72 percent MSC-certified seafood, followed by Waitrose at 67 percent, Co-op at 61 percent, and Tesco at 48 percent.
On the bottom end, Marks and Spencer carries 19 percent MSC-certified, only four percent of Morrison’s seafood is MSC-certified, and Iceland carries just three percent MSC-certified, according to the study.
The retailer that made the biggest leap in 2017 was Asda, which increased its certified sustainable seafood range for its customers from 17 to 52 products, now totaling 38 percent of its range, MSC said.
MSC highlighted the addition of MSC-certified Scottish cod to the ranges of several supermarket chains in Great Britain, including Sainsbury’s and Aldi.
“Scottish fishermen have worked tirelessly to create well-managed fishing practices – all these steps have come together to revive a popular British fish that was in severe decline,” MSC said.
