Another tin of tuna, because we know you can't get enough of these pictures
The old saying about a can of worms, is based on the idea that once you open said can, it's impossible to get the worms back in and close it again. Who knew that was true of cans of tuna too?
But fresh from our update on some of the international branded laggards yesterday, comes some news of more developments from some of the UK retailers.
Way back in the dim and distant past (or 2008, as some call it) we had a bit of a think in the Greenpeace office as to how to follow up our campaign to improve the seafood policies of retailers. That work did indeed produce sustainability policies from each of the main supermarkets, and went some way to cleaning up fresh fish counters by removing many of the least acceptable options. But there was still plenty to do. As the UK is the world's second biggest importer of tinned tuna, we concluded that the shelves full of cans also needed a bit of investigating.
The results of our research led to the publication of Tinned Tuna's Hidden Catch, a damning indictment of many retailers and the two biggest brands, John West and Princes. Our campaign worked wonders, and by the time we updated our tinned tuna work online things had moved on substantially. John West in particular, has become a progressive player in the tinned tuna industry as a result.
Now, this week we have a new report from Ethical Consumer. They point out that whilst pole-and-line skipjack tuna is available in stores like Sainsbury's, Waitrose and the Co-op, that it's only Marks & Spencer, and Pret a Manger who have taken the next step and made sure their tuna sandwiches are similarly guilt-free. Accordingly, they are calling on consumers to boycott tuna sandwiches from Tesco, Boots, Subway and Greggs. There's also a call from Which? for the retailers to do more.
What pleased me was to also see reported commitments from two major retailers to take things further. Tesco have apparently said that they plan to have 10 per cent of their tinned tuna caught by pole-and-line. That's a welcome move, Tesco, but hey, you are way behind the pack on this one. Even Asda beat you to that one...
Sainsbury's meanwhile have said that, like Marks & Spencers, they'll be moving to pole-and-line tuna for their sandwiches too.
This is great news, and to my mind shows just how those two retailers are really leading in the UK, and the world, on this issue. It's also worth noting that the high profile support from these internationally-recognised brands is in itself a driver for change. Not only does championing the pole-and-line industry affect real change on the water and in local areas like the Maldives, but it helps ensure that pole-and-line tuna is available for other smaller, conscientious companies, too.
It's refreshing to have this 'can do' attitude from some of the UK retailers, and very much puts the apparent lack of concern from brands like Princes to shame.
We've come a long way on improving the tinned tuna industry already, but there's much more to do. Many brands and retailers are moving in the right direction, but not all of them are moving far or fast enough. As well as championing pole-and-line tuna, we need to clean up purse-seine fishing too. I wonder which retailer will be first to offer 'FAD-free' tuna?
So if you do want to buy tinned tuna or tuna sandwiches, do the right thing and buy the guilt-free stuff from the 'can do' guys. And if your retailer doesn't offer you guilt-free tuna in your tin, sandwich, or wherever, then demand to know why.
