Kotipizza has become the world’s first pizza chain to achieve full MSC Chain of Custody certification. All the seafood offered across the Finnish firm’s 260 outlets is now MSC certified sustainable and traceable. The commitment will be promoted through a national TV advertising campaign.
Kotipizza sells over eight million pizzas a year and around 1.5 million of these contain seafood. The chain buys 45 tonnes of shrimp and 150 tonnes of tuna annually. The shrimp will be sourced from MSC certified fisheries in the Norway North East Arctic, whilst the skipjack tuna will come from the Maldives pole and line fishery.
“Our customers increasingly want to know where their food comes from and how it is produced,” said the group’s CEO Tommi Tervanen. Indeed, in a recent poll 76% of Finns said it was important to consume fish from sustainable sources.
Globally, $4.6bn (£3.8bn) worth of products marked with the ‘blue tick’ logo were sold last year, totalling 659,399 tonnes. Brands and retailers had fuelled growth, said MSC in its annual report published last October. The foodservice industry is also “playing an increasing role in sourcing and supplying sustainable seafood”, MSC noted.
More than 75 fish and chip shops now sell MSC fish. McDonald’s also “continues to push the sustainability agenda”, said MSC, noting that its entire Spanish operation (more than 490 restaurants) last year became the first national chain to offer MSC-certified tuna on its menu.
Research published by Fish2Fork in January showed that the UK’s high street restaurant and pub chains improved their sourcing of sustainable seafood. However, some chains are “doing good things but not telling people about it”.