Making supplements sustainable
The Marine Stewardship Council is looking to ensure that fish and krill oil supplement makers can capture an increasing number of consumers interested in knowing where their supplements came from. A 2016 Nielsen GlobeScan survey found that more than 79% of U.S. seafood consumers cited sustainable sourcing as an important motivator, with more than two-thirds of those surveyed saying they wanted to be able to trace their purchases to a trusted source.
MSC’s efforts are delivering on the interests of the 65% of those surveyed who said they think a brand’s sustainability claims should be labeled by an independent organization. In six years, the number of Omega-3 supplements carrying MSC’s label has increased to 500 from 11, and MSC has certified the Alex BioMarine Antarctic Krill fishery, as well as two Alaskan pollock fisheries, which MSC said are the source of an increasing number of supplements.
One of MSC’s largest partners is Sam’s Club, which earned the organization’s inaugural U.S. Ocean Champions award for the its efforts to ensure that its private-label Member’s Mark fish oil and krill oil supplements are entirely traceable to an MSC-certified sustainable fishery. The larger industry looks to be following suit, as according to MSC, the U.S. market has more than 65% of total sales by volume made up of MSC-certified supplements.
MSC’s efforts are delivering on the interests of the 65% of those surveyed who said they think a brand’s sustainability claims should be labeled by an independent organization. In six years, the number of Omega-3 supplements carrying MSC’s label has increased to 500 from 11, and MSC has certified the Alex BioMarine Antarctic Krill fishery, as well as two Alaskan pollock fisheries, which MSC said are the source of an increasing number of supplements.
One of MSC’s largest partners is Sam’s Club, which earned the organization’s inaugural U.S. Ocean Champions award for the its efforts to ensure that its private-label Member’s Mark fish oil and krill oil supplements are entirely traceable to an MSC-certified sustainable fishery. The larger industry looks to be following suit, as according to MSC, the U.S. market has more than 65% of total sales by volume made up of MSC-certified supplements.