Woolworths is launching the first store-brand, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified canned tuna in South Africa.
The retailer has been working closely with the MSC and WWF-SASSI for four years to develop the line of pole-and-line caught tuna from community fishers in the Maldives. That fishery is supported by the International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF).
“Woolworths is taking its customers on an important stage of its ‘Fishing for the Future’ journey,” IPNLF Managing Director Martin Purves said. “Supporting small, one-by-one fisheries is the sustainable way to secure high-quality, responsible and ethically caught tuna. It is fantastic to see one of South Africa’s leading retailers making such a huge commitment to this sustainable tuna fishing practice.”
Woolworth’s "Fishing for the Future" initiative is an ongoing drive to meet various sustainability goals for the wild-caught and farmed seafood it sells. However, canned tuna “has been a particular challenge, as only 16 percent of the entire world’s tuna catch has met the certification requirements of the MSC,” the retailer said in a statement.
The canned skipjack tuna line includes light-meat tuna solid, chunked and shredded in brine, with or without vegetable oil added.
