FEATURE: Would Consumers Pay 51% More For Sustainable Tuna?ff

Fishes BV is one of the first companies in Europe to have the MSC label on their tuna cans. The Marine Stewardship Council certificate is awarded to seafood products that have proven to be environmentally sustainable in their catching methods and management of the resource.

Since last July, tuna fans from the Netherlands can find Fishes’ Albacore Tuna on supermarkets shelves. The tuna has been caught by the American Albacore Fishing Association by using pole and line and it is sold at a surprising elevated price.

The 150 grams net weight tuna can in olive oil is currently sold for Euro 2.99 or Usd 4.43, including VAT. Considering that it only contains 98 grams of tuna meat, the price per kilo drained reaches Euro 30.51 or Usd 45.15, a remarkable difference from other non-MSC brands.

Rio Mare’s, a top quality tuna brand, canned yellowfin tuna in olive oil sells at the same supermarket at Euro 20.09 or Usd 29.75 per kilo drained, 51% less than Fisher’s tuna and with a lot more product: 104 grams of drained tuna.

Another surprise was that both Fishes’ tuna in olive oil and in brine cost the same, which makes the price for this albacore in brine exceptionally high.

This sustainable tuna product comes in double packaging. The blank can, which was filled in a French cannery, comes inside a small carton box.

Atuna.com tasted Fishes’ albacore tuna and the evaluation attested the good quality of it. Nevertheless, no huge differential was found in its flavor compared to yellowfin products, which makes us wonder how much extra will consumers pay for MSC approved tuna?

On Fishes’ webpage it is clear that the company stands for a concept that supports the environment above all things. Yet, their prices might confirm the long-term trend in which sustainable products in general are unfortunately unsustainable for most family budgets.