Greenpeace campaign to discourage sale of bluefin tuna in supermarkets. (Photo: Greenpeace)
Greenpeace complaint over El Corte Inglés still selling bluefin tuna
(SPAIN, 11/4/2010)
Among the six major supermarket chains in the country, El Corte Ingles is the only one that continues to market bluefin tuna, states a Greenpeace complaint.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) stressed that despite the demands of various environmental groups pressuring them not to sell the species to ensure sustainability, this chain continues to do so. For this reason, Greenpeace asks politicians and supermarkets to exercise "greater leadership in protecting the oceans."
"When in October 2007 we started to work in this direction, none of the six major supermarkets in the country (Lidl, Carrefour, Alcampo, Eroski, Mercadona and El Corte Ingles) made a publicly available policy for sustainable fish buying," said the environmental group in a statement.
It notes that a number of these chains were unaware of the problems of overexploitation and destructive fishing gear facing the seas for years.
Now, the Lidl and Alcampo websites mention their pledge to withdraw threatened species caught by unsustainable methods, such as bluefin tuna, redfish and sharks.
Greenpeace on Thursday presented a report titled 'Responsible Consumption of Fish', which lists numerous solutions to this problem, including proposed aquaculture and fishery products certification.
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The report is aimed at large retailers and the aquaculture industry, which "must take up the challenge and develop their business in a sustainable way."
Greenpeace warns that the existing certification systems "are likely to be more a whitewash than a real commitment to sustainable fisheries." In this regard, they report that there are examples of certified products from overexploited stocks or whose method of capture is very destructive.
"Supporting sustainable fisheries and improved labeling are therefore some of the measures essential to ensuring the future of our oceans", says the NGO.
According to Paloma Colmer, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace, "Despite what many managers and directors of large supermarkets believe, consumers themselves are concerned about the sustainability of the products they buy and the more information that is available, the greater their confidence to buy is."
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Supermarkets Ranking. (Table: Greenpeace) |
"Politicians from the European Union to New Zealand have already realized the importance of the global movement for sustainable fishing and seafood. It is now imperative to support the initiatives taken by large supermarkets and to establish laws that enable fair competition between these companies," they said.
The latest ranking of supermarkets that Greenpeace developed according to sustainability criteria in the sale of fish, is as follows:
- Lidl: 45.21 per cent
- Carrefour: 40.02 per cent
- Alcampo: 24.54 per cent
- Eroski: 21.78 per cent
- Mercadona: 19.18 per cent
- El Corte Inglés: 15.72 per cent
By Analia Murias
[email protected]
www.seafood.media
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