Sales of sustainable fish on the rise despite of downturn

Sustainable fish spend had increased from £128million in 2008 to £178million in 2009.

The growth was despite a two per cent fall in overall household expenditure in the last year.

However, ethical spend remained a small proportion of the total annual consumer spend of some £700 billion.

The report, which has been acting as a barometer of ethical spending since 1999, analyses sales data for various sectors including food, household goods, eco-travel and ethical finance.

Over the last two years, expenditure on ethical food and drink increased 27 per cent to reach £6.5 billion, representing eight per cent of all food and drink sales. Fairtrade food grew by 64 per cent to reach £749 million, while sales of animal welfare Freedom Food certified products tripled in two years to reach £122m. Sales of organic food fell by 14 per cent to £1,704 million.

Tim Franklin, Chief Operating Office at The Co-operative Financial Services, said:  “This annual report clearly shows that the growth in ethical consumerism continues to outstrip the market as a whole. I have no doubt that this will come as a surprise to those commentators who thought ethical considerations would be the first casualty of an economic downturn.

“Consumer commitment to ethical products has remained strong through the downturn, however it is clear that ambitious legislation is needed to enable the mass-market take-up of low carbon lifestyles.”