Shoppers ‘need more info to choose sustainable fish’

Which? has called on retailers to give more information on packs of fish to help shoppers identify if the fish is sustainable.

The European Commission requires that whole or filleted fish must be labelled by its commercial name, whether it is farmed or wild and the area in which it was caught. But it does not require catch method or the specific catch area to be included, the consumer group pointed out.

Which? accused retailers and brands of labelling tinned tuna ‘Dolphin friendly’ even though it was usually irrelevant.

“Most tinned tuna is Skipjack tuna, which don’t swim with dolphins,” it said.

Although labelling had improved since Which? last looked at fish sustainability two years ago, some products still didn’t allow consumers to make sustainable choices, it said.

“We would like retailers and brands to use consistent and reliable certification schemes, such as the Marine Stewardship Council and the recently launched Aquaculture Stewardship Council scheme for farmed fish.”

Over three-quarters of 1,995 adult UK consumers who took part in a survey carried out by Which? in February said they wanted to know if their fish was sustainably caught.

Source: http://goo.gl/Kk49t