Asda opts for transparency

According to The Guardian newspaper, Asda has for the first time disclosed a full list of where and how all the wild fish it sells are caught, in response to concerns over the sustainability of fish stocks around the world.

Campaigners who have been fighting for greater openness from retailers welcomed the move.

The Asda list, which will be on its website and annually updated, gives the names of each fishery from which stock is sourced, as well as detailed information about the methods used to catch it and any concerns about environmental impact. It acknowledges that some fish are sourced from fisheries or stocks that are under threat or by methods which damage the seabed.

Information on farmed fish and the source of fishmeal used to feed them is not yet included in the database, nor are labour standards which have been the subject of controversy.

Asda’s director of sustainable business, Christopher Brown, said he hoped the disclosures would be extended to aquaculture next year.