CELEBRITY CHEF Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall and environmental campaign group Greenpeace have accused Tesco of stocking “dirty tuna”, which is caught unsustainably using nets that harm marine wildlife.
The supermarket giant has been pulled up for its recent decision to start stocking low-cost brand tuna, from Oriental and Pacific, despite the supermarket pledging to ensure all its own brand tuna was caught sustainably in 2012.
Fearnley-Whittingstall’s new documentary ‘Fish Fight: Hugh’s Last Stand’, singled out Tesco in its criticism against supermarkets selling unsustainable tuna to the public last Sunday night and called for it to remove the brand from its shelves.
“Tesco made one of the biggest commitments of all to sell the most sustainable tuna, but they now stock a new brand called Oriental and Pacific, which is caught using methods that accidentally catch and kill endangered animals like turtles, rays and sharks” he said.
“There’s no information on Oriental and Pacific tins to tell shoppers how the tuna was caught. If they really care about our oceans then Tesco should take this tuna off the shelves today, and other supermarkets must follow suit.”
Greenpeace’s Tinned Tuna League 2014 named Sainsbury’s, the Co-operative and Waitrose as three of the most sustainable supermarkets stocking ‘clean’ tuna whilst Tesco’s came last.
A Tesco spokesperson said that its own-brand tuna is 100% pole and line and sustainably sourced.
They added: “Tesco will insist that Oriental & Pacific makes a similar commitment to other branded suppliers who are working towards a more sustainable fishing policy”.