Our commitments to sustainable fishing

As part of our responsible retailing commitments, many SPAR Partners offer sustainably sourced food products such as fresh fish that has been certified as having been caught using sustainable fishing practices. SPAR is committed to supporting sustainable fisheries and assisting in the development of aquaculture operations. Below are examples of SPAR Partner initiatives focused on sustainable fishing and their commitments to various certifications

DESPAR Italy

The certification standards given to DESPAR’s canned tuna are a positive addition to the SPAR Partner’s environmental initiatives and the products are now available in every DESPAR store in Italy.

The Friends of the Sea label and Dolphin Safe certifications promote full transparency about the origins of the DESPAR Own Brand canned tuna range. DESPAR assures customers that its tuna is caught sustainably, stating that only adult tuna are retained, no dolphins were hurt or killed in the process, and the tuna is caught in accordance with FAO (Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations) approved areas of fishing, which combats the effects of overfishing in certain areas.

In addition to full transparency, full traceability is also provided by the Friends of the Sea and Dolphin Safe certifications. The product packaging provides customers with information about the species of tuna used, the area the tuna comes from and customers can also request to be provided with extra information such as the type of boat used to catch the tuna.

SPAR South Africa

Realising that retailers can help drive positive change in the industry, SPAR South Africa supports sustainable and well-managed fisheries and aquaculture operations, and has taken steps to ensure that its own brand seafood is responsibly procured.

As a voluntary retail chain, SPAR South Africa and its affiliated independent retailers are committed to implementing positive change with regards to the seafood procurement of all SPAR retailers through information and education.

Products closely monitored by SPAR South Africa included its own brand canned tuna, Norwegian Salmon, Namibian Hake and Prawns. For more information about SPAR South Africa’s Sustainable Seafood Policy, follow this link.

SPAR Austria

SPAR Austria made a commitment back in 2011 already to only stock responsibly sourced fish products in its stores. Each year, WWF Austria checks SPAR’s entire fish range and advises on improvements. This year, the results of the assessment revealed that 97% of all of SPAR Austria’s 457 fish products are caught or bred in a responsible way.