Gotcha: Mowi’s “Responsibly Farmed” Scottish Salmon Caught in Advertising Standards Net!

 

 

 

The Advertising Standards Authority is investigating a complaint filed against Mowi's "responsibly farmed" Scottish salmon as advertised by Tesco and Sainsbury's.

 

From: Celia Howarth <celiah@asa.org.uk>
Date: Mon, Nov 22, 2021 at 8:58 AM
Subject: RE: [External] Complaint Vs "Responsibly Farmed" Mowi Scottish salmon sold by Tesco & Sainsbury's
To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>, David Barber <davidb@asa.org.uk>

Dear Mr Staniford

Thank you for your emails.   I have forwarded both your emails to our Operations Team and asked them to raise a new complaint for you (I note you may have already passed a complaint through our system, so I will ensure they don’t duplicate this).

Your complaint will then be allocated to a Complaints Executive for their consideration.

Yours sincerely

Celia

Celia Howarth

Senior Complaints Executive

Direct Line: 020 7492 2119

Advertising Standards Authority

Castle House, 37-45 Paul Street

London EC2A 4LS
Telephone 020 7492 2222

www.asa.org.uk

Legal, honest, decent and truthful

 

 

Tesco #6 Mowi 25 Nov 2021

 

 

 

Here's the complaint filed by Scottish Salmon Watch and Animal Concern last week (19 November 2021):

 

From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Nov 19, 2021 at 7:31 PM
Subject: Complaint Vs "Responsibly Farmed" Mowi Scottish salmon sold by Tesco & Sainsbury's
To: <celiah@asa.org.uk>, <davidb@asa.org.uk>
 
Celia/David,
 
Since you've dealt previously with complaints relating to Scottish salmon (cited in the attached complaint) I am writing to you personally but a complaint will also be filed online via the ASA website later this evening.
 
Here's a complaint filed by Scottish Salmon Watch and Animal Concern which includes 'hard evidence' against Mowi's "responsibly farmed" Scottish salmon:
 
Hopefully you can take enforcement action against Tesco and Sainsbury's and work with CMA and Trading Standards to address the issue of deceptive marketing and misleading advertising of "responsibly farmed" and "responsibly sourced" Scottish salmon. 
 
The Competition and Markets Authority report ‘Green Claims Code’ (20 September 2021) gives scope for coordinated action to address false environmental claims in relation to Scottish salmon.  
 
There is certainly overlap in our complaints and the ASA is copied into:
 
 
 
 
 
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me. 
 
Please provide a receipt for this complaint. 
 
Thanks,
 
 
Don Staniford
 
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
 
 
 
 
 
ASA complaint filed online 19 Nov 2021 #1 ASA complaint filed online 19 Nov 2021 #2
ASA complaint filed online 19 Nov 2021 #3

 
 
 
 
ASA complaint ad Mowi in Sainsburys
 
 
 
ASA complaint ad Mowi in Tesco
 
 
 
 
 
Scottish Salmon Watch also filed an additional complaint against Tesco's "responsibly sourced" salmon farmed in Norway:
 
 
From: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Nov 22, 2021 at 9:43 AM
Subject: Re: [External] Complaint Vs "Responsibly Farmed" Mowi Scottish salmon sold by Tesco & Sainsbury's
To: Celia Howarth <celiah@asa.org.uk>
Cc: David Barber <davidb@asa.org.uk>
 
Celia/David,
 
Thanks – on Saturday (20 November) I visited the Tesco store in Bidston on the Wirral and saw a display claiming that "All our fish is responsibly sourced".
 
image.png

 
There was MSC certified wild caught cod or haddock and MSC certified kippers I think but most of the fish in the display were farmed salmon from Norway (with no welfare accreditation mark or ASC-certification):
 
image.png

 
How can Tesco justify this advertising display?  Please consider this an additional complaint. 
 
I can provide substantive evidence, if required, that farmed salmon in Norway (like Scotland) are subjected to welfare abuse, toxic chemicals (including the banned neonicotinoid Imidacloprid), torture via Thermolicers and Hydrolicers, mass mortalities, infectious diseases, escapes and there is benthic and environmental pollution associated with Norwegian salmon farming operations. 
 
Tesco is misleading customers. 
 
Thanks,
 
Don Staniford
 
Director, Scottish Salmon Watch
 
 
 
 

From: Celia Howarth <celiah@asa.org.uk>
Date: Mon, Nov 22, 2021 at 9:45 AM
Subject: RE: [External] Complaint Vs "Responsibly Farmed" Mowi Scottish salmon sold by Tesco & Sainsbury's
To: Don Staniford <salmonfarmingkills@gmail.com>
Cc: David Barber <davidb@asa.org.uk>

Dear Mr Staniford

Thank you for this email, I have also forwarded this to the operations team who will add it to your case when allocated to an Executive.

Celia

Celia Howarth

Senior Complaints Executive

Direct Line: 020 7492 2119

Advertising Standards Authority

Castle House, 37-45 Paul Street

London EC2A 4LS
Telephone 020 7492 2222

www.asa.org.uk

Legal, honest, decent and truthful

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Here's the offending packaging:

 

Tesco #3 Mowi

Mowi's "Responsibly Farmed" Scottish Salmon sold by Tesco & Sainsbury's – download high res image online here

 

 

 

Sainsburys #1

Sainsbury's "Responsibly Sourced" and "Responsibly Farmed" Scottish salmon – download high res image online here

 

 

 

Tesco #1

Tesco's "Responsibly Sourced" and "Responsibly Farmed" Scottish salmon – download high res image online here

 

 

 

 



 

 

 



 

 

 

 

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