Supermarkets see sales of sustainable seafood soar

UK retailers enjoyed rapid growth in sales of certified sustainable seafood last year (2024-25) thanks in large part to almost two thirds (63%) of wild caught fish and seafood products now carrying the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) ecolabel. There are now almost 1,000 (948) MSC labelled products sold under supermarkets’ own brands.

The £1.7bn consumers spent on 189,000 tonnes of MSC labelled products represents a 14% increase on the previous year, according to the MSC UK and Ireland Market Report which is published today.

The primary driver behind this growth is the doubling of MSC certified skipjack tuna products available on shelves in the last year, a continuation of the upward trend that’s seen sales of canned and jarred MSC labelled tuna soar from £24.3m in 2020/21 to £269.1m in 2024-25. Volumes have grown from 2,461 tonnes to 37,027 tonnes over the same period.

Cod itself remains a good news story as four fifths of the volume sold in UK supermarkets carries the MSC label, which is also true of other popular species like cold-water prawns and mussels.

The picture is even brighter for one of the UK’s most popular fish dinner staples – fish fingers, 88% of which bear the blue ecolabel.

The UK consumer’s desire for a broader range of sustainable fish and seafood is also being met by major retailers, brands and restaurants, with 49 different certified species sold last year. Newly available species with an MSC ecolabel in the UK in 2025 included banana prawns, Argentine red shrimp and Chilean jack mackerel.

Two thirds of the growth in consumer spending on MSC products in 2024-25 was on preserved products. UK shoppers spent £339m on cans, tins and jars of MSC labelled fish, representing a 64% leap on the previous year.

Seth McCurry, MSC UK & Ireland Senior Commercial Manager, said: “With almost a quarter of UK consumers (22%) telling us they won’t buy fish unless it’s sustainable, it’s no surprise to see sales of MSC-labelled products continue to rise significantly.

“Retailers aren’t just listening to their customers either, they’re also working incredibly closely with the fishing industry to ensure there’s a greater range of MSC certified species on their shelves, including locally caught fish and seafood.”

Eight of the 10 leading UK supermarkets increased the percentage of their wild seafood range sold as MSC certified in 2024-25. Sainsbury’s had the largest range of MSC labelled products with 208 (21 more than the previous year) and increased to 81% the percentage of its wild seafood range bearing an MSC ecolabel. Meanwhile, Iceland expanded its range of MSC labelled products in 2024-25 and more recently made further progress in late 2025, becoming the first frozen food retailer globally to source all of its own brand wild fish and seafood from MSC certified fisheries.

While availability of MSC labelled products in UK supermarkets has grown significantly, there are still opportunities to introduce the well-recognised ecolabel in other categories like pet food and supplements which also rely heavily on marine ingredients.