Abel & Cole accused of greenwashing land-farmed salmon

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fish salmon fillet

Abel & Cole opted for Icelandic, land-based, responsibly farmed salmon as a sign of its commitment to ‘putting the environment, biodiversity and great taste at the heart of what we do’

Abel & Cole has been accused of greenwashing over its much-vaunted switch to land-farmed salmon.

Sustainable food charity Foodrise has called on the government to ban the production system and urged the organic food delivery service to “tell the truth to its customers”, alleging it was misleading them by saying salmon produced in land-based tanks was a guilt-free way to enjoy fish.

The organisation said land-farming fuelled the extraction of wild fish used in feed, harming biodiversity and taking food from coastal communities. It added there were also issues with technology failures leading to major fish mortalities.

It cited a recent report it co-authored with French group Seastemik titled ‘Fish out of water: Pulling the plug on land-based salmon farms’ as a key example of the damage land-based systems could create. Foodrise found a single large farm required the treatment capacity of a wastewater plant for up to 100,000 people.

Abel & Cole announced its decision to stop sourcing sea-farmed salmon in May 2025, pointing to ongoing concerns within the salmon farming sector, such as the threat to wild stocks and mass mortality events linked to sea lice.

The company opted for Icelandic, land-based, responsibly farmed salmon as a sign of its commitment to “putting the environment, biodiversity and great taste at the heart of what we do”.

However, Abel & Cole was “failing its customers by selling them salmon farmed on land”, claimed Foodrise deputy director Natasha Hurley.

“We are deeply concerned that this move will open the floodgates on demand for land-based salmon,” she said. “The reality is that this form of industrial salmon farming is fuelling devastation to wild fish populations and continued food colonialism, and has profound impacts on animal welfare.”

Abel & Cole has not been the only business to turn to land-based salmon farms as a “sustainable alternative” to conventional salmon farms. Late last year, meat and fish delivery service Field & Flower also switched its supply to Icelandic and Norwegian land-based options.

“This step allows us to provide delicious, high-quality salmon while protecting wild fish stocks, marine ecosystems, and the planet,” Field & Flower founder James Mansfield said in November.

Foodrise’s accusation comes as the UK’s first land-based industrial salmon farm gained planning permission in Cleethorpes last year. A decision on a further factory in Wiltshire is currently being considered.

“Customers shop with Abel & Cole because it is a sustainable business which purports to care about people and planet,” Hurley added.

“That’s why Abel & Cole must act to remove the greenwashing claims from its website and urgently develop a transition plan away from selling farmed salmon.”

Abel & Cole was approached for comment