NGOs and fishermen call for clearer labelling rules on canned fish
Processed seafood products, such as canned fish, should carry the same labelling as fresh fish to combat illegal fishing and ensure fair competition, European NGOs and fishermen’s organisations have said.
A study published today (19 September) by NGO Oceana shows that 40% of processed seafood in France, Spain, and Belgium – three of the EU’s largest seafood consumers – lacks essential information, including species, origin, and fishing gear used.
“A canned product might simply be labelled as including ‘tuna’, which could refer to any of the 14 tuna species, including overfished stocks,” explained Vanya Vulperhorst, director of Oceana’s illegal fishing and transparency campaign in Europe.
Under Article 35 of the EU’s Common Market Organisation (CMO) regulation for fishery and aquaculture products, consumers must be provided with key information, but this rule currently only applies to fresh, frozen or smoked fish products, leaving out processed or canned products.
Oceana is asking the European Commission to include these products in a revision of the rules.
Fishermen share this view, with representatives of the fishermen’s organisation Europêche hoping the new Commission will “introduce the necessary legeslitaive changes to labelling standards to promote greater transparency, encourage sustainable practices and support fair competition within the EU market,” they told Euractiv.
Unfair competition and illegal fishing
For Europêche, “a common labelling system is crucial given that these products are largely sourced from third countries, and 70% of the seafood consumed in the EU comes from there.” This is because low-cost imports without mandatory labelling can “harm the fishing industry and distort competition.”
Oceana also warns that current rules are insufficient to enable consumers to make informed, sustainable choices without fostering illegal fishing practices.
Though the regulation against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing requires flag states to certify catches’ origin and legality, it does not extend these requirements to processed products.
A 2022 report commissioned by the EU Fisheries Committee revealed that half of the vessels engaged in IUU fishing between 1980 and 2019 were Chinese.
Oceana also mentions that “the majority of the fish species used to produce fish fingers, a widely consumed product in the EU, is caught by Russian vessels.” Russia ranks as the second-worst country globally in combating illegal fishing, according to the IUU Fishing Index.
According to the investigative platform Follow the Money, “European fish processors, who are heavily dependent on cod and hake sent from Russia, generated a turnover of €31 billion in 2022.”
At the canteen
Oceana is also calling for improved transparency in the catering industry, where current labelling laws only require allergen information.
“Mass caterers, hotels, and restaurants should be required to provide information on species, origin, fishing gear, and production method to customers,” the NGO stated.
The European Commission’s 2023 evaluation of the CMO Regulation reinforced the need for stakeholders to inform consumers about processed fishery and aquaculture products.
This push was reiterated in 2024 when the European Parliament passed a resolution calling for labelling to cover all fishery and aquaculture products.
Under the updated Fisheries Control Regulation, digital traceability and mandatory labelling throughout the production chain will be required from 2029.
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