Coles has announced that all its Own Brand canned tuna will begin to carry the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue fish tick label from September.
When the transition is complete, more than 45 popular Own Brand canned tuna products, including Coles Tuna Chunks, Pacific brand Yellowfin Tuna and Wild Tides, will contain tuna caught in MSC-certified fisheries. The products will feature the MSC blue fish tick label, giving customers the assurance they are purchasing wild seafood from a “well-managed and sustainable fishery”.
Coles General Manager Own Brand, Quality and Responsible Sourcing Charlotte Rhodes says the decision to source tuna from fisheries certified to one of the world’s most widely respected and credible wild seafood certification programs provides customers with added confidence at the checkout.
“By adding the MSC blue fish tick label to all Coles brand canned tuna we’re demonstrating the great lengths we are going to make sustainable choices more accessible and more convenient for our customers,” she says.
“This important milestone will see Coles have the largest MSC-certified own brand seafood range in the country and be on track to become the first Aussie supermarket to have its entire canned fish range third party certified by the leading global standards for sustainable seafood.”
The additional MSC-certified tuna products will be available in Coles stores nationally by the end of the year, taking the total number of MSC-certified Own Brand products to 75 including the Coles Canned Pink Salmon range, Frozen Beer Battered Fish Fillets and Thawed Australian Raw Banana Prawns.
Award-winning sustainability
The announcement comes as Coles was crowned MSC Best Sustainable Seafood Supermarket at this year’s Sustainable Seafood Awards Australia. Independently judged, Coles received the award for having the most significant commitment to MSC-certified seafood of any retailer in Australia.
MSC Program Director Oceania and Singapore Anne Gabriel says Coles’ commitment to source MSC-certified tuna across its entire own brand canned tuna range recognises and rewards the sustainable tuna fishing communities safeguarding this vital resource for the future.
“We commend Coles for offering Aussies affordable, MSC-certified sustainable canned tuna at a time when global demand for the fish is increasing, and the pressure on tuna populations and ecosystems has intensified,” she says.
“By offering Australians access to third-party verified sustainable tuna, Coles is joining a global movement of tuna brands playing their part to celebrate and incentivise MSC-certified tuna fisheries, which account for over 40% of tuna fisheries worldwide.”