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Marks & Spencer is to switch to using only pole and line caught tuna in its entire range of food.
The retailer's announcement comes after a premiere of The End Of The Line, a documentary about overfishing inspired by a book by environmental journalist Charles Clover.
M&S is one of the country's leading sandwich retailers and its move is likely to place pressure on others to adopt sustainable sourcing of the fish.
A company spokeswoman said: "As all of our food is own-brand, it means there will be absolutely no products in our stores that use tuna which isn't pole or line caught."
Last night actress Greta Scacchi held a private screening of The End Of The Line at City restaurant Soseki. She also launched her Sustainable Fishing Campaign, inspired by the documentary.
She was joined by a host of celebrity friends including Alan Rickman, Vivienne Westwood, Patsy Kensit, Tina Hobley and Colin Firth.
Scacchi wants Londoners to boycott restaurants that continue to serve endangered fish species.
The 49-year-old has even posed nude with a dead cod for a poster shot by the photographer Rankin.
She explained: "We thought collars and shirts would get in the way, and it seemed simpler to be naked. But I insisted that I got the biggest fish - a cod from Iceland."
M&S said its fresh fish and products such as tuna sandwiches will all be replaced by the end of the month, and longer shelf-life products such as tinned tuna phased out by the end of the year.
Several major supermarkets have made the switch, on their own-brand products, or are doing so. Nearly all of the big retailers now only stock yellowfin or skipjack tuna rather than bluefin.
Sainsbury's said: "Greenpeace placed us at the top of its league table for canned tuna."
Waitrose plans to switch by the end of the year and Pret A Manger pulled its tuna sandwiches this week and said it would stop stocking bluefin in its sushi boxes.
Reader views (3)
Whoopee-do!
Bad news - ALL species are going to go extinct some time or another. Evolution and all that.... And some of them - most probably (with the exception perhaps of humanity itself) - will be at least partly because someone/something is eating them.
So sad. Now move on to something important.
- Rogan, Irving, 10/06/2009 06:08
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The likelihood of expensive long-lined bluefin ending up in M&S sandwiches - or sushi come to that - is virtually nil. The same goes for Sainsburys. This is typical greenwash from big business wanting to appear green without it costing them a cent.
- Sean, Norwich, Norfolk, 09/06/2009 15:26
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Congratulations to everyone who continues to raise awareness on the plight of these endangered fish.
- James, old st., London, 09/06/2009 12:23
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