False claims about sustainable scampi investigated

Scampi are being obtained in a way that causes “significant environmental damage,” claimed a charity that complained to the UK competition authority.

Charity Open Seas is questioning the sustainability of the popular seafood snack and has asked the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to investigate supermarkets that claim the fish is sourced “responsibly”.

According to Open Seas, scouring the seabed with heavy nets to catch lobsters for scampi causes “significant harm,” and other marine life caught in the process is often wastefully disposed of.

The British Retail Consortium said retailers were working closely with their suppliers to “ensure that products meet customers’ sustainability expectations”.

It continued: “Retailers have an obligation to source scampi responsibly.”

However, Open Seas believes that describing the product as ‘responsibly sourced’ is a breach of CMA guidelines.

“We have raised these concerns with supermarkets, but they continue to sell the scampi as ‘responsibly sourced,'” said Nick Underdown, campaign director at Open Seas.

The CMA guidelines require that advertising claims be both truthful and accurate, as well as “clear and unambiguous”.

“Consumers should not be misled by products marketed in this way,” Underdown added.

Scampi are sold in the freezer aisles of supermarkets and are a cheap source of protein for many. They are often made from a mixture of different shellfish, including shrimp and lobster. The breaded, deep-fried version served with tartar sauce has become a popular snack in bars.

But Mr Underdown told the BBC there was “no effective ship tracking” to reduce the harmful impacts of catching Norway lobsters, the group of marine creatures used primarily as ingredients in scampi.

“There is a vessel monitoring system, but no way to monitor the composition of the catch,” he said, adding that the proportion of “bycatch” – marine life that unknowingly becomes entangled in the nets – can often include small animals and fish, affecting the populations of these species in the future.

“Catching large numbers of juvenile fish against scientific advice is irresponsible. Trawling in sensitive marine habitats is irresponsible,” Underdown said.

“Companies that do not address these problems are not to blame. The way scampi are produced has all the hallmarks of irresponsible fishing.”

In its complaint to the CMA, Open Seas said the supermarkets’ claims that their fishing was “responsible” were ambiguous because the term was defined “by a self-interested industry group without reference to international standards defining responsible fishing”.

Whitby Seafoods, the UK’s largest scampi producer, states on its website that it is part of an industry-led Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP). Project UK, which oversees the implementation of the FIPs for the industry, is self-funded by industry players including Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Young’s, Lidl, Co-op, Tesco and Whitby Seafoods.

But Mr Underdown told the BBC he was “extremely concerned about the inaccurate self-reporting and lack of progress” by the FIP for the scampi industry.

The BBC has contacted major supermarkets and suppliers of British scampi.

Morrisons’ website states that the company uses third-party certification to ensure its fisheries are “credible and sustainable,” with 99 percent of the seafood it farms is “certified to Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative standards.”

Sainsbury’s, meanwhile, said it was the first retailer ever to receive various awards, including one from the Marine Stewardships Council. M&S writes on its website that it sits on the Board of Trustees for Fisheries Innovation Scotland and is actively involved in a number of projects to improve the fishing industry.

Young’s says it is a member of several sustainability organisations, while Tesco says it works with conservation organisation WWF on its seafood sustainability goals.

The cooperative says it works with three independent programs to verify the sustainability of its seafood.