The London-headquartered Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) reached an important milestone on February 22 with the launch of the 20,000th MSC-labeled product, Las Cuarenta Paella. The ready-made frozen meal is now available in Netto stores across Germany. The paella dish contains pollock from Alaska and Russia, blue shell mussels from Denmark, and shrimp from Suriname.
The paella’s seafood mix comes from a diverse range of fisheries spanning the globe from a developing world fishery in South America to some of the world’s largest fisheries in North America and Europe. Each is committed to ensuring the health and sustainability of the fish stocks in which they are harvested.
“Las Cuarenta Paella illustrates the growing trend in new seafood products,” said Nicolas Guichoux, MSC’s global commercial director. “Over the last decade, we’ve seen new and novel ways MSC-certified seafood is being used – from ready-made meals such as paella to sandwiches, pizza and baby food. Las Cuarenta paella is a fine example of how retailers and manufacturers are exploring new trends to attract more consumers looking to buy sustainable seafood.”
Thanks to the efforts of these and over 280 other certified fisheries, consumers in over 100 countries can choose from a variety of MSC-labeled products covering more than 100 different species. Consumers can also be assured that MSC-certified seafood has an effective, traceable supply chain.
“Nine years ago only 1,000 labeled products were on the market globally. So we celebrate this new important milestone, and honor all fisheries and retail partners whose commitment to sustainability has contributed to the growth of the MSC program around the world and played a part in securing a healthy future for our oceans,” said Guichoux.
MSC in Germany
Germany is the MSC’s most developed market in terms of certified sustainable seafood consumption, with over 4,000 MSC-certified products on sale. Netto is one of many retail partners committed to sourcing and selling MSC-certified products in the country. The discounter offers a wide range of responsibly sourced seafood with more than 100 MSC-labeled products in stores. Netto has made a long-term commitment to only source and sell seafood– from MSC-certified sustainable fisheries.
“We are very proud that the 20,000th MSC labeled product is a Netto product. With the growing availability of MSC-certified seafood from a variety of species, we’ve been able to expand our range so that our customers can buy their favorite seafood in the knowledge that the environment is being safeguarded. MSC-certified products play an important role in our corporate sustainability agenda,” said Christina Stylianou, corporate communications director at Netto.
