Are retailers harming the oceans with farmed fish?: Greenpeace criticizes Migros and Coop’s salmon discounts

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Trouble at Christmas dinner: Environmental protection organization Greenpeace Switzerland accuses Migros and Coop of engaging in an environmentally harmful discount war during the festive period. The focus is on aquaculture-derived Atlantic salmon. According to analysis by Greenpeace, it is one of the three most discounted fish products. “Retailers are wasting fish at ridiculous prices,” says Barbara Wegmann (40), consumer expert at Greenpeace Switzerland.

According to the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG), the Swiss consume nine kilograms of fish and shellfish per person per year. Salmon has been the most consumed dish on our plates for years. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 2.72 million tonnes of Atlantic salmon are produced worldwide today. In 1983 there were still 20,000 tonnes; An increase of 136 times.

Coop and Migros focus on customer needs

“These aquaculture farms are nothing more than marine factory farming,” says Wegmann. Additionally, salmon farms will harm wild populations through disease transmission.

That’s why the big price cuts from Coop and Migros are causing trouble for environmentalists: According to the Federal Bureau of Agriculture (BLW), retailers generate more than 45 percent of their sales of fish products through promotions. The highest proportion of promotional sales is in the food industry. “Migros and Coop cause great harm to fish and their habitats with their marketing policies,” says Wegmann. Instead of increasing consumption through discounts, they would have to reduce the variety of fish.

At Blick’s request, Migros and Coop defend themselves against Greenpeace’s claims. Retailers say they act according to customers’ needs. “We see a consistently high demand for salmon and smoked salmon, which is why we do the most promotion there,” Migros writes.

Not all sustainability labels deliver what they promise

As Coop reports, the proportion of sustainable certified salmon measured in total sales is around 70 percent, or even 85 percent for promotions. For aquaculture products, the company will carry at least labels recommended by WWF Switzerland and checked annually.

Even if sustainability certifications are better than nothing: they are not always problem-free, according to Greenpeace. For example, a recent study by Scottish NGO Wildfish shows that certified salmon farms in Scotland use pesticides and salmon are living in catastrophic conditions. According to the research, companies that violate sustainability label standards are allowed to continue receiving certification.

“We do not tolerate questionable animal welfare issues and demand clear improvements from labeling bodies if necessary,” Migros writes. He refers to the in-house evaluation system M-Check. The fish are checked by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), which developed the evaluation criteria together with Migros. There are bound to be ASC and MSC certified products that show only mediocre performance on M-Check.

Source :Blick