Tuna from MSC‑certified fishing

A blue label for certified fish

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an independent, non‑profit, international organization committed to the environmentally sustainable use of fish stocks in our oceans. Since its founding in 1997, the MSC has operated a voluntary certification program for fishering acitivities aimed at making the environmental sustainability of fishing practices transparent.

Fish products bearing the MSC label come from fishering that has been assessed according to defined ecological criteria, such as the condition of fish stocks, the impact on the marine ecosystem, and the existence of effective fisheries management. The assessment is carried out by independent auditing bodies. In addition, all companies along the supply chain must be separately certified to ensure the traceability of certified products.

Some of the criteria of the MSC environmental standard are, for example:

• The fish stock remains productive in the long term.
• The marine habitat is protected.
• Fisheries management is effective.

Around 15 million tonnes of fish is caught annually from MSC-certified fishery, which is about 19% of the total global marine catch. Approximately 20,000 products that carry the blue MSC label are available to consumers in 66 countries.

MSC-certified tuna for our pizzas

We only source tuna from MSC-certified, environmentally sustainable fishing for our products. An MSC ecolabel can therefore be found on all packaging of our tuna pizzas.

Dr. Oetker Suprema has established itself very successfully in the market. What is so special about this product line?

Thomas Kreuer, Business Development Manager Pizza at Dr. Oetker: With Suprema, we introduced a premium frozen pizza for food enthusiasts around a year and a half ago. A defining feature is the dough, which matures in three stages over more than 24 hours. This creates a texture that is crispy on the outside and particularly light and aromatic on the inside. In addition, we use carefully selected ingredients such as tomato passata from Emilia Romagna, refined with sea salt, premium mozzarella, and—depending on the variety—other carefully chosen components.

With the newest variety, tuna pizza is now part of the product range. How did this decision come about?

Thomas Kreuer: Tuna is one of the most popular pizza toppings. For Suprema Tonno, it was important for us to combine this relevance with a conscious choice of raw materials. That is why we use MSC-certified tuna, complemented by capers, which add a well-balanced Mediterranean flavor.

Dr. Oetker also uses exclusively MSC-certified tuna for its other tuna pizzas. Why is that?

Thomas Kreuer: Exactly, we only use MSC-certified tuna on our pizzas. This means the tuna comes exclusively from fisheries that meet the MSC standard for environmental sustainability. In practice, this means minimizing the impact on the ecosystem and helping to preserve fish stocks for the future. The MSC label on the packaging creates transparency—our consumers should be able to understand according to which standards the raw materials were sourced.

To draw attention to the importance of protecting the oceans, Dr. Oetker joins the MSC every year in their communication activities, together with many other organizations around the world including the United Nations. The aim is to raise awareness for collective action for a healthy ocean and a stable climate. The central question is how we can create a better future with pristine oceans and a stable climate together.

For more information please contact: