Greenpeace has lashed out at Tesco alleging it has reneged on a promise it would only stock sustainable tuna.
In a blog post, Greenpeace activist Ariana Densham said Tesco promised three years ago “to help protect our oceans” by only stocking tuna that was fished sustainably and in a way that didn’t threaten other wildlife.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
“At the same time as going 100% pole and line in its own brand in 2012, Tesco introduced a new dodgy brand called Oriental & Pacific back on to its shelves. Just like the Big Bad Wolf in disguise, Tesco has brought unsustainable tuna back – just this time under a different label,” wrote Densham.
A spokesperson for Tesco told just-food today (3 February), “The Greenpeace assessment is simply wrong.”
“We moved much faster than many of our competitors to make sure our own-brand tuna is 100% pole and line. We have also promised to use sustainable tuna in other products like pastas, sandwiches and salads. Many of our competitors continue to sell non-pole and line caught tuna. Customers have a great choice of sustainable tuna at Tesco.”
However no response was offered when asked whether the Oriental & Pacific tuna brand was sustainably sourced.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataJohn West and Princes tuna brands were also criticised as being “no better than it was in 2011”. Morissons, Sainsbury’s, M&S, Waitrose and Co-op however were tagged “tuna market leaders – all with 100% sustainable tuna in their tins.”
