Sainsbury’s has continued to lead the sustainable seafood awards this week, winning the MSC UK Supermarket of the Year award for the fourth year running. However, the drive to offer shoppers a better range of sustainable seafood choices has seen rivals Tesco take the MSC UK Sustainable Fish Counter of the Year award at the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) annual awards.
Sainsbury’s fish counters were pipped to the post by Tesco’s which offer an impressive 22 choices of MSC certified sustainable seafood. Sainsbury’s, which was recently named the ‘best sustainable seafood supermarket in the world”, was once again awarded the Supermarket of the Year title in recognition of its huge overall selection of 225 MSC certified sustainable choices, volume and value of sales.
With over 1,000 MSC labelled products available in supermarkets, the awards highlight the increasing range of sustainable seafood choices for shoppers. Further triumphs in the retail world include Lidl who, with over 100 MSC labelled products, received the Mid-Size Store Retailer of the Year. The discounter also took the Marketing Campaign of the Year awards for its recent MSC mussels TV adverts. Birds Eye won Frozen Brand of the Year and John West, which offers 32 certified sustainable choices, took Canned Seafood Brand of the Year.
Ethical eating-out
The awards also celebrated those helping to offer a growing choice of sustainable seafood menus across the UK. Highlights included UK Newcomer of the Year which went to Whitbread’s Premier Inns who earlier this year became the world’s largest hotel chain to be MSC certified.
Restaurateur Thomasina Miers was given the UK Special Achievement Award for championing MSC seafood across her Wahaca restaurant chain for almost ten years, making Wahaca the longest-standing MSC certified restaurant group. This in the year that MSC celebrates its 20th anniversary, recognises the fantastic commitment made by the business.
MSC North East Atlantic Programme Director, Toby Middleton, comments, “Sainsbury’s continues to lead the way which is why we’ve awarded them Supermarket of the Year for the fourth year running. Similarly, Tesco were best newcomer in 2016, so to win the Fish Counter Award this year shows an enormous amount of progress in just twelve months. Retailers, restaurants and brands are upping their game when it comes to sustainable seafood. Much of this is thanks to consumers. Whether popping to the chippie for supper, picking up a tuna sandwich or enjoying a seafood platter in a top restaurant, shoppers and diners expect a sustainable choice. It’s the bare minimum. And every MSC labelled product or dish that appears on a shelf, counter or menu, helps to protect our oceans for generations. Sustainable sourcing really is changing the world. That’s got to be worth a trophy.”
The awards in full:
MSC UK Supermarket of the Year
Sainsbury’s
Named “the best sustainable seafood supermarket in the world” earlier this year, Sainsbury’s was recognised for having the biggest overall choice, volume and value sales of MSC certified products.
MSC UK Fish Counter of the Year
Tesco
Tesco has 22 MSC choices on its counter, the best range in the UK.
MSC UK Mid-size store retailer of the year
Lidl
For the second year running, Lidl leads the mid-sized retailers with more MSC labelled products than other mid-size supermarket chains, representing 81% of its seafood range bearing the MSC label.
MSC UK Marketing Campaign of the Year
Lidl
The retailer’s MSC Scottish mussels TV ad was a great illustration of the ‘ocean to plate’ journey of sustainable, traceable seafood.
MSC UK Frozen Brand of the Year
Birds Eye
The family favourite offers the largest range of MSC certified frozen products.
MSC UK Canned Seafood Brand of the Year
John West
John West offers an impressive 32 MSC certified canned choices.
MSC UK Menu of the Year
Hilton Hotels
Hilton became the largest Hotel Chain with MSC certification in 2015 and went one step further in October last year by running a campaign menu for Seafood Week, where hotel chefs were encouraged to utilise a range of 14 different species.
MSC UK Chef of the year
Craig Maw
Craig is owner and chef of Kingfishers Fish & Chips, near Plymouth, named the fish and chips shop of the year at the National Fish & Chip Shop Awards 2017. The shop is also known for having the ‘most sustainable seafood menu in the world’ with 12 MSC certified species.
MSC UK Supplier of the Year
Brakes
Brakes offers the largest range of MSC products to its customers and scoops the title for the fourth year running.
MSC UK University of the Year
Nottingham University
Nottingham took the trophy from Durham University for serving the largest number of MSC certified dishes to its students.
MSC UK Special Achievement Award
Thomasina Miers for Wahaca
Chef, restaurateur and food writer, Thomasina, received the Special Achievement award for adopting the MSC label across her Wahaca restaurants UK-wide in 2008, now approaching 10 years of MSC fish on the menu.
MSC UK Newcomer of the year
Whitbread Group PLC
Whitbread owned Premier Inn became the world’s largest hotel group to be MSC certified earlier in 2017. As a result, an extra 3 million portions of sustainable fish and chips will be served this year across key restaurant brands Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Table Table and Whitbread Inns.
Choosing MSC labelled seafood from fisheries, retailers, brands and restaurants guarantees sustainable, traceable methods and helps protect the life in our oceans for generations to come.