Marks & Spencer to buy only line-caught tuna

Marks & Spencer announced this week that it will source only line-caught and pole-and-line-caught tuna for all of its tuna products, from sandwiches to ready-to-eat meals to fresh steaks.

The British retailer, which sells more than 20,000 tuna sandwiches per day, said the decision followed a "painstaking review" of every product containing tuna.

"Our move to convert all the tuna we sell is a real milestone for food retailing," said Paul Willgoss, head of technology for Marks & Spencer, which carries only private-label food products.

Marks & Spencer, with more than 840 stores in 30-plus countries worldwide, claims to be the first U.K. retailer to make the 100 percent switch. The retailer has never sold bluefin tuna, which many conservation organizations deem overfished.

In terms of consumer awareness and labeling, Marks & Spencer will add stickers to all of its tuna products so customers know the fish has been caught in an environmentally friendly manner.

Marks & Spencer's decision comes a few days after sandwich chain Pret a Manger unveiled that it's discontinuing yellowfin tuna. Both announcements coincide with the theatrical release of the film "End of the Line" on Monday, World Oceans Day. The documentary is about overfishing, particularly tuna overfishing.

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