Sainsbury’s has become the first supermarket chain in the United Kingdom to have all of its fresh Scottish salmon independently certified to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standard.
The salmon adds to the retailer’s fully ASC-certified sea bass, sea bream, tilapia, pangasius, and chilled and frozen shrimp product ranges.
“We know it’s our responsibility to ensure the food on our shelves is as sustainably sourced as possible, which is why we’re so pleased to become the first U.K. retailer to offer 100 percent ASC-certified fresh Scottish salmon,” Sainsbury Head of Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Horticulture Gavin Hodgeson said. “Over the next few years, we’ll continue working closely with our suppliers to ensure food is sourced sustainably from all perspectives – socially, environmentally and economically.”
The accomplishment comes despite less than 5 percent of farms in the country being certified to the ASC standards for salmon farming.
ASC CEO Chris Ninnes said Sainsbury's commitment gives its customers the ability to make a difference with their food purchases.
“This can only happen if retailers provide shoppers with a comprehensive choice of certified products, which is why this commitment by Sainsbury’s is so important,” Ninnes said. “Scottish salmon is a world-famous product, for good reason. But it must be produced in a way that also preserves the iconic environment in which it is farmed. Sainsbury’s customers now have the chance to play their part in supporting responsible salmon farming by looking for the ASC logo.”
Currently, only nine Scottish salmon farms are ASC-certified, though according to the latest figures from the Scottish government, there were 226 active salmon farming sites in the country in 2019.
Sainsbury’s has committed to several environmental initiatives, including become net-zero in its carbon emissions by 2035, five years earlier than its original ambition. It has also been helping Indonesian nonprofit group Prevented Ocean Plastic repurpose 297 metric tons (MT) of plastic from the coastline into packaging for fish and strawberries.
Photo courtesy of Sainsbury's
