MSC and Albert Heijn Netherlands team up instore
Dutch shoppers will find it easier to choose certified sustainable seafood during the AH puur&eerlijk (pure&honest) sustainable catch promotion, in Albert Heijn stores throughout The Netherlands during the week beginning 21 March, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to MSC.
Joining forces to boost the MSC ecolabel
For the second time, the campaign brings together puur&eerlijk, leading retailer Albert Heijn's umbrella brand for sustainable products, and the Marine Stewardship Council. Its primary objective is to show consumers that by choosing MSC-labelled seafood, they are making a positive difference to our world's oceans.
The MSC ecolabel makes it easy for consumers to get involved and do their bit for the future of the oceans and global fish stocks by making a positive choice in favour of certified sustainable seafood.
More than 800 Albert Heijn shops will take part in the campaign with a wide range of MSC-labelled products on display. Besides instore promotions, the campaign also aims to inform consumers about the importance of sustainably caught seafood and the impact their choices can make.
Reaching out to consumers
The MSC's consumer communications strategy was developed in conjunction with internationally-renowned agency, Saatchi & Saatchi, who contributed their services pro-bono. The improved MSC ecolabel was launched in July 2009. The joint marketing campaign with AH in The Netherlands is, along with similar campaigns in the United Kingdom (Sainsbury's) and France (‘Les jours bleus' featuring Findus and Labeyrie products in Carrefour stores), the next phase in the MSC's global campaign to add value to its partners. The planned programme of joint campaigns is designed to increase awareness of the MSC ecolabel at the same time as enhancing the sustainability credentials of the participating seafood brands and retailers. Their aim is to make MSC-labelled products meaningful and important to shoppers and demonstrate the active commitment of our commercial partners.
What Albert Heijn says
Albert Heijn launched its very first MSC-labelled product in 2009. It has since then widened its range and is now offering 24 MSC-labelled products in its refrigerated and fresh section under the category AH puur&eerlijk sustainable catch. Albert Heijn offers the largest volume of MSC-labelled retailers' own brand products in The Netherlands. Sanne Zwinkels, Brand Manager puur&eerlijk says:
"At Albert Heijn we do our utmost to support sustainable fishing. With our AH puur&eerlijk sustainable catch range we offer our customers a wide choice in seafood bearing the MSC ecolabel. We see that more and more customers are buying these products. To boost their customer appeal still further we are offering a 25 per cent discount on all AH puur&eerlijk sustainable catch products this week."
What the MSC says
Nathalie Steins, MSC Manager Benelux, commented:
"I am thrilled to see that after the joint campaigns in for example the UK, France, Japan, US, Australia and Canada we are running a joint marketing campaign with Albert Heijn here in The Netherlands. Customers at Albert Heijn find their way to the shelves with certified sustainable seafood much more easily. The more people get to know the blue MSC ecolabel and make a positive choice in its favour, the greater the incentive for fishermen to transform their fishing business into a sustainable one. This, in turn, will help create healthy fish stocks again."
Range of MSC-labelled products
View here the list of MSC-labelled products at Albert Heijn shops.
More information
Albert Heijn is the leading retailer in The Netherlands with a market share of 31.3%. It operates 824 stores. 8 out of 10 household visit the AH. AH has the biggest trade share private label: 35%. Albert Heijn is initiator of the ‘Catch from close by project'. They are working with a group of fishermen from the North of The Netherlands and the MSC certified auction Hollands Noorden and their supplier Marine Harvest to get good quality sustainable catch of plaice in the Albert Heijn stores. www.ah.nl
AH puur&eerlijk (pure & honest) is a line of Albert Heijn private label products, launched in May 2009, which regroups their responsible/sustainable product categories such as ecologically produced, environmentally produced, biologically produced, fair-trade and sustainable fishing. Albert Heijn has a policy of sourcing exclusively from MSC certified fisheries for wild caught seafood in the sustainable fishing category http://www.ah.nl/puureneerlijk and http://www.ah.nl/puureneerlijk/duurzamevangst