ASC AWARDS BEST SEAFOOD BRAND, RETAILER & RETAIL SUPPLIER OF 2023

ASC awards best seafood brand, retailer & retail supplier of 2023, in annual ceremony. For the third consecutive year, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) joined the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) in its annual UK Awards to celebrate the responsible seafood sector’s success in 2023.

Held at the historic Fishmongers’ Hall in London on Thursday (October 26), the dedicated ASC awards recognised the companies making the greatest impact in driving sustainability within the industry and boosting consumer demand for ASC labelled seafood.

The 2023 ASC awards featured three categories, including debut award, ASC UK Brand of the Year, and previous accolades, ASC UK Retailer of the Year and ASC UK Retailer Supplier of the Year.

Renowned around the world for setting the standard for seafood, the ASC awards offer consumers the confidence that winning businesses meet the strictest requirements for responsibly farmed seafood. With sustainability more important than ever, the green label helps shoppers choose seafood that’s been farmed with care for people and our planet.

ASC UK Brand of the Year

The ASC UK Brand of the Year is the company credited with flying the flag for responsible seafood. As the UK leader in ASC certification and with a flourishing selection of healthy and quality responsible seafood, the world’s largest producer of Atlantic salmon, MOWI, has won the inaugural prize.

Nina Gomeche, Brand Manager at Mowi Consumer Products, said:

“MOWI is delighted to receive this recognition of the brand and company going above and beyond as “ASC Brand of the Year.”

“We are proud to promote MOWI Scottish Salmon to shoppers who are increasingly aware and concerned about the provenance, ethics and sustainability of the food they buy. This messaging helps the stores where we are listed to have a deeper connection and loyalty with their customers. Taking care from egg to plate, we also thank our dedicated farming colleagues to consistently deliver MOWI salmon to the tough standards of scrutiny from ASC.”

ASC UK Retailer of the Year

Since becoming the first UK supermarket to offer 100% of its fresh Scottish salmon as ASC certified in 2022, Sainsbury’s has continued at pace to expand its exceptional range of responsibly farmed seafood. In recognition of this significant effort to increase choice for UK shoppers, the leading supermarket was awarded the ASC UK Retailer of the Year prize.

Gavin Hodgson, Director of Agriculture, Horticulture & Aquaculture at Sainsbury’s, said:

“This award is for everyone involved. It’s been a big team effort for a long time, and it’s required a lot of visionary people to be part of this – the Sainsbury’s team and a bigger team. So to have the recognition for winning an award that’s linked to responsible and sustainable sourcing is great for us and everybody that’s involved in it.”

ASC UK Retail Supplier of the Year

The ASC UK Retail Supplier of the Year award is presented to the supplier that champions responsible seafood for the retail industry, helping to accelerate sustainability within the supply chain. In recognition of its key role in expanding the availability of certified responsible seafood and meeting growing consumer demand, this accolade was awarded to New England Seafood International (NESI).

Ruth Hoban, Head of Sustainability for NESI, said:

“NESI is delighted to have received the ASC UK Retailer Supplier of the Year award 2023 as nominated by Waitrose. This award acknowledges the amazing work carried out by our dedicated farming partners and the team at NESI towards responsible fish farming for now and well into the future. We are a real advocate for the ASC and their vision and working with a UK retail leader such as Waitrose means that we can collaboratively ensure UK consumers can enjoy responsibly sourced seafood.

“It is fantastic to be recognised by Waitrose for the work we do in aquaculture. Partnering with long-term suppliers, we are able continuously drive improvements in the industry which are acknowledged through the standards set by the ASC.”

Growing range of ASC labelled seafood

Aisla Jones, ASC Market Development Manager for the UK and Ireland, said: “The ASC awards were a fantastic opportunity for us to acknowledge and reward the hard work that our winning partners have put in over the past year to offer a growing range of ASC labelled seafood to shoppers in the UK. I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in 2024 and beyond! We would also like to thank the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for hosting the ceremony.”

Alastair Dingwall, ASC Senior Director for Technical Operations, said:

“Congratulations to Sainsbury’s, Mowi and NESI for their well-deserved wins! These awards acknowledge the significant effort it takes for a retailer, brand and supplier to commit to, and deliver, seafood that has met ASC’s highest standards. These commitments, along with those from a growing band of other processors, farmers and retailers, will be the catalysts for future improvements of the local and global supply chains providing the UK with its seafood.”

Driving the UK’s growing demand for responsible seafood

In 2022, demand for ASC labelled consumer products rose by 62%, with the UK trending above the global average, which sits at a strong 14% year-on-year increase.

This rising interest from shoppers in responsibly sourced seafood products is key to more farms becoming ASC certified and more suppliers making commitments to ASC. In a reflection of the growing consumer demand, 40 farm sites in the UK are now ASC certified – representing a 100% increase since February 2022. A further 18 farms are in initial audit stage with a view to being certified by the end of 2023.