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ASC Spotlight: Celebrating UK Leaders in Responsible Aquaculture
October 23, 2025
Following the joint ASC–MSC Awards, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is shining a spotlight on its own award recipients who were recognised for their outstanding contribution to making responsibly farmed seafood the standard choice for UK consumers.
At the fifth annual ASC Awards, held in partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), ASC celebrated excellence across the seafood supply chain — from major retailers and suppliers to brands and producers — honouring those driving meaningful change in the farmed seafood sector.
This year’s winners showcased exceptional leadership in responsible seafood — with Sainsbury’s named Retailer of the Year, New England Seafood International (NESI) taking Retail Supplier of the Year, Birds Eye crowned Brand of the Year, BioMar honoured as Newcomer of the Year, and MOWI’s Scottish Salmon Fillets voted Product of the Year – Consumer Choice.
Celebrating dedication to responsibly produced seafood
Maud van den Haspel, ASC General Manager for the UK and Benelux, said, “Congratulations to all our winners for their remarkable dedication to responsibly produced seafood. These awards celebrate the people driving the transformation of the seafood farming industry — producers, processors, brands, and retailers — who choose to make a difference every single day.
“As ASC continues to grow in the UK, I hope these achievements inspire more partners to join us. Together, we can transform aquaculture into a true force for good — for farms, fish, people, and the planet.”
ASC UK Retailer of the Year — Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s continued its incredible winning streak picking up the ASC UK Retailer of the Year for the fourth year in a row, standing out for its ongoing 100% commitment to sourcing ASC-certified seafood. The award recognises the retailer leading the way with the widest selection of responsibly farmed seafood across stores and online.
Dave Parker, Head of Aquaculture and Fisheries at Sainsbury’s, said, “We’re passionate about the welfare of animals in our supply chains, and committed to working closely with our partners to deliver good food that is sourced responsibly, for everyone, every day. We’re delighted to be recognised with this award from the ASC, reflecting the hard work of our teams and partners who make it possible to offer a wide range of responsibly sourced seafood products to our customers. We’re excited to keep working with the ASC to grow our range even further and continue leading the way in this space.”
ASC UK Retail Supplier of the Year — New England Seafood International (NESI)
Recognised by UK retailers, NESI took home the ASC UK Retail Supplier of the Year award for driving growth in responsibly certified seafood and helping make sustainable choices more accessible to consumers nationwide.
Cassie Leisk, PLanet & People – Group Director said, “We are honoured to be recognised as ASC UK Retail Supplier of the Year. This award reflects the dedication and passion of our entire team at NESI, united in our collective mission with our customers to make responsibly sourced seafood the easy and accessible choice for shoppers. We share this award with our industry leading suppliers who make it possible.”
ASC UK Brand of the Year — Birds Eye
Birds Eye was crowned ASC UK Brand of the Year for its impressive range of ASC-labelled seafood and its strong commitment to promoting responsible aquaculture. The brand stood out for building consumer trust and driving demand for certified responsible seafood across the UK.
Claire Sutton, Marketing Director at Birds Eye, said, “We’re incredibly proud to be named ASC UK Brand of the Year. This award is a fantastic recognition of our ongoing commitment to responsibly sourced seafood and our dedication to helping consumers make more sustainable meal choices every day.”
ASC UK Newcomer of the Year — BioMar
The Newcomer of the Year Award went to BioMar for its outstanding commitment to the ASC programme and its active role in advancing a more sustainable future for seafood farming.
Rob Wilson, Business Unit Director, BioMar UK welcomed the win, saying, “In BioMar, we believe in the sustainable future of the seafood industry and remain committed to doing our part in shaping a more responsible and transparent aquaculture industry. We’re thrilled to be recognised as ASC’s Newcomer of the Year. I’m proud of our dedicated team, who worked tirelessly to ensure we are aligned with the ASC programme.”
ASC Product of the Year – Consumer Choice Award — MOWI Scottish Salmon Fillets
For the first time, ASC and MSC launched the Consumer Choice Award, giving the public the power to celebrate their favourite responsibly sourced seafood products. After an intense voting competition which saw almost 1,000 UK consumers vote for their favourite products on ASC social media channels, the award went to MOWI’s Scottish Salmon Fillets.
James Cowan, Sales Director for MOWI Consumer Products UK, said, “We’re thrilled that our MOWI Scottish Salmon Fillets have been chosen by the public as Product of the Year – Consumer Choice. Knowing that seafood lovers themselves voted for our product makes this award especially meaningful.
“It’s a wonderful recognition of our team’s dedication and care taken from egg to plate — raising salmon to the highest standards of responsibility and preparing it, restaurant-style, for customer delight. The award shows the power consumers have in driving sustainable choices across the industry.”
Rising demand for ASC-certified seafood in the UK
Reflecting a growing consumer appetite for responsibly farmed seafood, demand for ASC-labelled products continued to surge in 2025, with 857 ASC-certified products now available across the UK — a 19% increase since October 2024.
The number of ASC-certified farm sites in the UK also grew by 15%, reaching 83 in total, alongside three ASC-certified feed mills as of October 2025.
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