Tesco was named the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) UK supermarket of the year, and Sainsbury’s won Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) retailer of the year.

Tesco received the award for its expanded sustainable seafood range and volume of certified products available.

Natalie Smith, head of agriculture and fisheries at Tesco, said: “As the UK’s biggest fishmonger, we’re passionate about promoting healthy oceans and fish stocks and providing our customers with responsibly sourced seafood.

“That’s why we’ve committed to sourcing 100% MSC-certified tuna by the end of 2025, a milestone that’s helped us grow our MSC-labelled range across all categories to 77%. We remain dedicated to driving continuous improvements throughout our supply chain and supporting more fisheries on their journey to MSC certification.”

Sainsbury’s received the award for the fourth consecutive year due to its 100% commitment to sourcing ASC-certified seafood in stores and offering the highest share of ethically farmed products.

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Dave Parker, head of aquaculture and fisheries at Sainsbury’s, said: “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.”

Lidl and Iceland received silver and bronze awards for MSC’s supermarket of the year category, while Ocado was named MSC UK online brand of the year.

The demand for sustainable seafood products has increased over the past year by 12%, with consumers in the UK and Ireland spending £1.5bn.

Additionally, the responsible aquaculture sector continues to grow, with the number of ASC-certified farms increasing by 15% to 83 across the country.