The Challenge of Locating Eco-Labeled Products in Japan

By: Miyu Fujimoto and Gunther Errhalt

When discussing initiatives to promote sustainable fisheries worldwide one topic of conversation always comes up, Eco-labels. At Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology I learned about the benefits that increased eco-labels can play in increasing transparency and sustainability within the supply chain. However, while learning about these eco-labels I realized something. I don’t think I’ve ever seen these eco-labels in-person. As usual I went to the convenience store after class and searched to see if any of the onigiri (rice balls) which contained fish had eco-labels on them. They did not. This led me to question how difficult it would be to find eco-label products in Japan. Along with Gunther Errhalt I set forth to check as many food retailers as I could to see how difficult it would be to find eco-label products in Tokyo.

First I wanted to investigate how many businesses in Japan are participating in eco-label programs. According to the Fisheries Agency in Japan, there are 14 fisheries and 353 distribution processing certified MSC, 15 aquaculture companies and 187 distribution processing certified ASC, and 22 fisheries, 61 aquaculture and 129 distribution processing certified MEL (Fisheries Agency Processing and Distribution Division, 2023). The number of fisheries eco-label certified fisheries are increasing but, even still I’ve barely seen labeled products in the supermarket. 

So with that in mind Gunther, head of Errhalt Consulting, and I set forth to check multiple different stores to check how many eco-label products we could find. In total we went to five supermarkets, two fishmongers and two convenience stores all within the Greater Tokyo Area. Of these nine stores, only three sold eco-labeled seafood. We decided to focus on only a few species. We checked tuna, pollock, saury, cod and salmon. In the end, we saw that Max Value was selling MSC and ASC labeled salted salmon, My Basket was selling MSC labeled salted pollock roe, spicy pollock roe, salted cod and ASC labeled salted salmon, and Odakyu OX was selling salted pollock roe and spicy pollock roe. Max Value and My Basket are affiliated grocery stores under the umbrella of AEON . While Odakyu OX is a private company which handles the private brand of Seven and i, called Seven Premium. This was quite interesting as Odakyu OX was handling the eco-labeled Seven and i products however, I did not see those eco-label products at the 711 convenience stores I visited.

After checking as many retailers as we did, finding so few products is a disappointment. It is good to see that stores like AEON,  which makes up 30% of the total market, is stocking eco-label products. However, even still the number of products is very limited. In 2010 AEON committed to sourcing 10% of their seafood from MSC and ASC. This is a great first step and we can see that compared to other stores checked they’re at least stocking some eco-labeled products. However, when we consider that other retail giants like Walmart have committed to 100% eco-label convergence it becomes more evident that Japan is really falling behind.

It made me wonder why we are falling so behind on the trend towards fisheries sustainability through eco-labels. Well, according to a global consumer survey conducted by MSC, awareness of MSC in Japan was 19% as of 2020 (MSC, 2020). This seems to be an increase of 7 points compared to the 2018 survey, but it is still very low. MSC awareness among global seafood consumers is 49% as of 2020 which is more than double of Japanese MSC awareness.  

The issue isn't just about awareness though; it's more deeply rooted in a cultural preference for domestic products in Japan. In stores, instead of MSC or ASC labels, you're more likely to find stickers or logos on products indicating they are domestically produced, like those labeled "Aomori product" or "Japan product." These might also feature culturally significant logos to emphasize their domestic origin. Research suggests that Japanese consumers generally perceive domestic products as safer than foreign ones. This implies that they do care about product safety and sustainability. However, they might not distinguish much between a sustainability claim like an MSC label and a label indicating domestic origin. For instance, when faced with several similarly priced domestic tuna options, a consumer might opt for the one from Okinawa, based on a positive perception of Okinawa tuna, assuming it's as sustainable as an eco-labeled option. This would be an interesting hypothesis to test. 

（Left: Tuna-based cat food with red label showcasing that is a domestic product)

Of course, our sample size of retailers was quite small but it begs the question: what about all those Japanese MSC, ASC and MEL certified Japanese fisheries? Where are they selling to? We can assume that still a lot of these products are being sold domestically. Many sushi chefs like those in organizations like “Chefs for the Blue '' are doing their best to mandate domestic eco-labeled products into their menus. In addition, as said before both Seven and I and AEON are steadily increasing their eco-labeled stock as well. However, my assumption would be that many of these Japanese eco-labeled products are destined for Europe and North America where eco-labeled products have much more of a demand. Yet, I will conceded that without a more indepth supply chain analysis it would be difficult to determine that for certain. 

In conclusion, the real power to promote sustainable seafood lies with us, the consumers. By choosing eco-labeled products, we directly support ethical fishing practices and contribute to the health of our oceans. Let's take actionable steps: request eco-labeled seafood at our local stores, educate those around us, and use our buying power to make a statement. Every purchase is a vote for sustainability.

 水産庁加工流通課. 水産エコラベルをめぐる状況について. 水産庁. 2023. https://www.jfa.maff.go.jp/j/kikaku/budget/attach/pdf/suishin-3.pdf

 持続可能な原材料の調達. Seven & i Holdings CO., Ltd. https://www.7andi.com/sustainability/theme/theme3/raw-material.html

 イオン持続可能な調達原則. AEON CO., LTD. https://www.aeon.info/sustainability/procurement/

 2020 GLOBAL SEAFOOD CONSUMER SURVEY: THE KEY FACTS. MSC. 2020. https://msc.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/for-business/rise-of-the--conscious-consumer-key-facts-global-infographic.pdf?sfvrsn=22a4d94f_4

 サステナブル・シーフードの証、MSC「海のエコラベル」日本での認知度が19%にアップ. MSC. 2020. https://www.msc.org/jp/what-you-can-do/media-centre/press-releases/201104

 MSCジャパン. ヨーロッパで漁業資源の健全性がリスクにさらされる中、大手水産企業が南米に注目. PR TIMES. 2022. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000046.000059178.html