Young's Seafood is introducing the first sustainable scampi to the freezer aisle, after a £1m investment to its key fishery on the Western Isles of Scotland.

The Young's Premium Whole Isle of Lewis Scampi (rsp: £3.99) claims to be the the first breaded scampi made with langoustine certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. It hits shelves in Sainsbury's next month.

The langoustine tails in the frozen product derive from the Stornoway fishery in Scotland, which won MSC-accreditation in April following £1m in financial support from the Findus Group-owned brand.

The premium line will replace Young's standard Wholetail scampi in Sainsbury's from next month. However, the fishery currently lacks capacity to supply other retailers.

"This product is the result of a superb partnership between our Stornoway team and the local fishing fleet," said Yvonne Adam, marketing director of Young's. "While the volume of MSC-certified Stornoway langoustine cannot supply our entire brand, we are nevertheless delighted that we can launch a Young's MSC Scampi with national distribution [via our] partnership with Sainsbury's."

Scots environment secretary Richard Lochhead called the launch "a timely and tremendous boost for fishermen on the Western Isles" and "spectacular proof that gaining MSC certification can open up a whole new world of trade opportunities".

He added: "This will give consumers added confidence that Stornoway langoustines is a top-quality product from the most sustainable possible source."

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