Fish and Seafood

Asda Seafood Sourcing

We aim to source wild caught fish species from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified (or those progressing to achieve MSC certification via a Fisheries Progress website registered Fisheries Improvement Project). MSC certification is a multi-stakeholder approach to sustainably managing fisheries. The certification is independent against the MSC Fisheries Standard.

In 2024 94% of wild caught fish sourced for sale in our stores is MSC certified or working toward MSC certification.

Asda also works with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), to assess fisheries’ sustainability. We have been working in partnership with SFP since 2011 to better understand the risks within our seafood supply chain.

Through collaboration with the SFP Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP) we were the first UK supermarket to publicly disclose own brand wild-caught and farmed seafood sourcing data. The data includes species and location, production method (for aquaculture species), certification and improvement status, sustainability ratings and environmental notes. More information on our fish and seafood sourcing can be found here - https://oceandisclosureproject.org/companies/asda.

Farmed Seafood

Aquaculture or farming seafood is an increasingly important source of food. Popular UK fish choices, such as salmon, trout and warm water prawns, are all farmed. We are working with our suppliers to reduce the impacts of aquaculture systems, and our farmed seafood must be produced in line with Best Aquaculture Practice, Global GAP or Aquaculture Stewardship Council schemes.

Our seafood suppliers continue to work with producers to identify how best to improve health and welfare for aquaculture species. For example, they are trialling the use of different options of feed ingredients such algal derived ingredients to reduce requirement for fish derived products. Asda have also worked with New England Seafood International (NESI) to successfully introduce humane stunning of sea bass and sea bream for all fish supplied to Asda.

Pelagic fisheries

Pelagic fisheries, for species like tuna and mackerel are extensive and involve multi-lateral management and engagement. This can often result in unique challenges related to management, disagreement across countries and stakeholders on impacts of quota and quota sharing, impacting the sustainability of stocks.

Through membership and participation in the Global Tuna Alliance and North Atlantic Pelagic Advocacy Group we work in collaboration with peers and experts across these fisheries to help promote the need for engagement, alignment and further progress on management standards.

- https://www.globaltunaalliance.com/

- https://napafisheries.org/

These groups also play an import role in engaging fisheries, like blue whiting, used in fish meal and oil supply chains which are important to aquaculture systems.

Atlantic Mackerel

Following the suspension of MSC certification for the North Atlantic Mackerel Fishery in 2019 and the failure of coastal states in subsequent years to agree suitable harvest control measures we operate unique requirements for North Atlantic Mackerel sourcing. These are designed to prioritise sourcing from coastal states that are taking positive action to better manage pressures on the shared stock and help it return to levels necessary for MSC certification.

Tuna

Our own brand tinned tuna and tuna sandwiches come from pole and line, Fish aggregation device (FAD)-free or fisheries which use FAD’s but only where participating in Fisheries Improvement projects where progress is published on fisheries progress. Additionally when sourcing our canned tuna we do not source from any company that uses vessels that have been officially blacklisted i.e. on IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) vessel list; which use transhipment at sea; been prosecuted for illegal activities related to the trade of fish or undertaken shark finning.

Prawns

Working with our suppliers we have made progress with many phasing eyestalk ablation for broodstock out of our prawn and shrimp supply chains. This will continue through 2026 and we aim for all farmed prawns used in Asda products to be from ablation free broodstock by 2027. More broadly we are also engaging with our suppliers to support the trial and adoption of electrical stunning to help drive improved welfare.