Sustainable seafood sales soared last year according to the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) latest market report.
Consumers spent an estimated £1.7bn on 189,900 tonnes of MSC-certified products and menu items in 2024/25, an increase of 14% in volume and value compared to the previous year.
The organisation said there were 948 MSC-labelled products sold under supermarkets’ own brands, up from 883.
The primary driver behind this growth was the doubling of MSC-certified skipjack tuna products available on shelves in the past year.
This, the report said, was the continuation of an upward trend, with canned and jarred MSC-labelled tuna soaring from £24.3m in 2020/21 to £269.1m in 2024/25. Meanwhile volumes have grown from 2,461 tonnes to 37,027 tonnes over the same period.
Four-fifths of the volume of cod sold in UK supermarket carries the MSC label, which is also true of other popular species like cold-water prawns and mussels, while 88% of fish fingers carry the label.
Two-thirds of the growth in consumer spending on MSC products in 2024-25 was on preserved products, and UK shoppers spent £339m on cans, tins and jars of MSC-labelled fish – a rise of 64%.
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“With almost a quarter of UK consumers (22%) telling us they won’t buy fish unless it’s sustainable, it’s no surprise to see sales of MSC-labelled products continue to rise significantly,” said MSC UK & Ireland senior commercial manager Seth McCurry. “Retailers aren’t just listening to their customers either – they’re working incredibly closely with the fishing industry to ensure there’s a greater range of MSC-certified species on their shelves, including locally caught fish and seafood.”
A total of 49 different certified species were sold last year under the label, including banana prawns, Argentine red shrimp and Chilean mackerel.
Eight of the UK’s 10 largest supermarkets increased the share of their wild seafood ranges carrying MSC certification last year, with Sainsbury’s offering the widest selection.
It stocked 208 products – 21 more than the previous year – and raised the proportion of its wild seafood range with the MSC eco-label to 81%.
Iceland also grew its MSC-labelled range, becoming the first frozen food retailer in the world to source all its own‑brand wild fish and seafood from fisheries certified by the organisation.
“Our customers can now be confident that every own-label product bearing the blue MSC eco-label is sustainably sourced to the recognised independent standard,” commented Iceland Foods executive chairman Richard Walker in the report. “That’s good for the planet, good for future generations, and it sets a global benchmark for what responsible retail should look like.”
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Despite strong growth across UK supermarkets, opportunities remain for MSC to expand into other categories, such as petfood and supplements, it said.
The report said spending on MSC-certified petfood has increased steadily over the past five financial years, from around £14m in 2020/21 to nearly £25m in 2024/25, but Lidl is the only UK retailer to use the MSC label across its entire petfood range.
Looking ahead to 2026, the report said consumers could spend nearly £2bn on 220,000 tonnes of MSC-certified products, due to the availability of tuna and pelagic species – a 12% increase in value and 16% increase in volume.
However, it warned businesses could face sourcing challenges due to quota cuts, political dysfunction, and a failure to adequately heed scientific advice.
“This could pose a challenge for businesses that have long-standing commitments to selling MSC-labelled fish, but could also present an opportunity to explore other certified sustainable alternatives,” the report said.
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