Dr. Oetker Stories
Together for sustainable fishing
Every year, about 90 million tons of fish are caught worldwide, about 5 million of which are tuna. If we want ocean ecosystems to remain diverse and colorful, we need to manage our ocean resources responsibly. That is why, at Dr. Oetker, we source tuna from fisheries that are certified according to the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard for sustainable fishing.
7.6.2024 âą Sustainability Our World
Today, our oceans are under pressure. More than a third of the world's fish stocks are overfished. Especially Catching tuna, which is essential for many of our pizza products, can pose risks to tuna stocks and the marine habitat. At Dr. Oetker, we are committed to source only certified sustainable tuna for our products in order to protect fish stocks and manage ocean resources responsibly. Did you know that more than 400 environment improvements protecting ocean biodiversity were made by Marine Stewardship Council certified fishers in the last three years?
A blue label for sustainable fish
MSC stands for Marine Stewardship Council. The MSC is an international non-profit organization, founded in 1997 as an NGO to improve global fisheries through a market-based certification program with strict environmental criteria.
The well-known blue MSC ecolabel is the world's strictest environmental label for wild caught fish. Fish products with the MSC ecolabel come from controlled, sustainable, certified fisheries: they have been caught in an environmentally responsible way and come from a stock that is not overfished. Fisheries interested in MSC certification must go through an 18-month review process. This is not carried out by the MSC itself, but by independent, external experts. The assessors assess whether a fishery meets the MSC's sustainability criteria or not.
Some of these sustainability criteria of the MSC are, for example:
- The healthy size of the fish stock, because sustainable, MSC certified fisheries are not allowed to fish on overfished stocks. In addition, they must ensure that only as much fish is taken from a stock as can grow back.
- Protecting the marine habitat: MSC certified fisheries need to be aware of and minimize their impact on the ecosystem, such as minimizing bycatch or impacts on the seabed.
- Effective fisheries management: They must be managed based on long-term scientific guidelines and comply with all applicable laws.
In total, 674 MSC certified fisheries catch around 15 million tonnes of fish annually, which is about 19% of the total global marine catch. Approximately 20,000 products that carry the blue MSC label are available to consumers in 66 countries.
Sustainably caught tuna for our pizzas
Dr. Oetker is committed to source only certified sustainable tuna for its products. An MSC ecolabel can therefore already be found on many of the packaging of our tuna pizzas.
"In line with our Dr. Oetker Sustainability Charter, this offers our consumers more transparency about the ingredients of our pizzas," explains Alexander Sack, Executive Manager Sustainability.
In our Dr. Oetker Sustainability Charter, we have set ourselves the goal of guaranteeing our consumers complete transparency regarding the nutritional values, ingredients and sustainability of our products by 2025. We also want to establish sustainable procurement standards in our supply chains by 2030, to which MSC certification makes a major contribution.Â
"By sourcing only MSC-certified tuna, we are able to take a big step towards contributing to the health of tuna stocks and protecting marine ecosystems." Markus Lutter, Commodity Manager
To draw attention to the importance of protecting the oceans, Dr. Oetker joins the MSC in celebrating World Oceans Day on 8 June, together with many other organizations around the world including the United Nations. The aim is to raise awareness for collective action for a healthy ocean and a stable climate and addresses the central question of how we can create a better future with a rich sea and a stable climate together.
The MSC campaign 2024 for "World Ocean Day" is themed "Sustainable fishing means more..."
"We appreciate the commitment of the MSC as a partner, especially because by purchasing certified tuna, we can be sure that it has been caught sustainably," explains Eva Flach, Senior Quality Manager International.