Sustainable seafood firm adds cod brand

by Jennifer Whitehead, Marketing 24-May-06, 08:10

LONDON - Johnson Sustainable Seafoods is launching a fresh fish brand called No Catch ...Just Cod, targeting ethically aware, health-conscious shoppers.

No Catch, which will be available in Tesco from 29 May, comes from the world's biggest cod hatchery in Shetland. The fish are fed offcuts of fish already harvested and have no contact with pesticides or dyes.

The packaging, through brand and design consultancy Bryt, is a departure from traditional fish branding and highlights the brand's ethical credentials. The packaging emphasises the product's origins and that it is "tasty, totally natural fish". It adds that it is the world's first organic, sustainable cod and uses the line "Good for you, great for fish".

Although cod is a favourite among consumers, there has been concern about its rapidly diminishing stocks, leading to restrictions on cod fishing in the Irish Sea, North Sea and off West Scotland.

No Catch argues that its product is better for the environment because it comes from a sustainable source, and is higher quality because it reaches shops faster than cod caught in the wild.

Sourcing enough cod from sustainable sources has proved difficult for food manufacturers. In 2002, Birds Eye attempted to tackle the problem by introducing fish fingers made with a New Zealand white fish called hoki. The product was delisted by retailers by the end of 2004 after failing to find favour with shoppers.

Johnson Sustainable Seafoods was previously Johnson Seafarms, a salmon farm set up 20 years ago. It has spent the past two years developing its organic, farmed cod offering. Its portfolio includes mussels and sea trout.

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