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How you CAN help us uncover dirty tuna!

Posted by Greenpeace UK - 13th April 2016


Last year, Greenpeace confronted John West over a broken promise. Back in 2011, they promised customers that 100% of their tuna would be caught sustainably by the end of this year. But as of today, they’ve only reached 2% of that target. This means a whopping 98% of their tuna is caught in a way which often kills animals like endangered turtles, sharks and baby tuna.

Even though thousands of you voiced your outrage over this last year, John West still hasn’t cleaned up their act. To prove that John West isn’t meeting their promise, we need to collect some really simple info. And we need your help.

John West has a website which lets customers find out the name of the ship which caught their tuna. This is hugely valuable info for us. Why? WELL, we can’t tell you that yet – it’s top secret. (Watch this space!)

We need info from as many tuna cans as possible – from Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Co-op, Waitrose, Aldi and Lidl. Specifically from the cans which come from the Indian Ocean (Seychelles) – one of the main tuna fishing grounds in the world. Once we collect all this info on the ships and put it together, it will play a key part in our campaign and will really help put the pressure on John West.

Interested in taking part? Here’s what you need to do:

1. Find a John West tuna can which says it is from ‘SEYCHELLES’. Like this one:

2. Note down the stamped code on the can, the barcode and the supermarket where you found the tin.

3. Go to the John West tuna tracker and put in the info you noted down.

4. One of the following will happen:
a) Info on where your tuna was caught will appear.
b) A pop-up box will appear, asking you to email John West directly.
c) A message saying ‘Invalid Code’ will come up.

If a) happens, click on ‘DISCOVER MORE’ to find out which ship caught the tuna. Email us at tuna.uk@greenpeace.org – we need the name of the ship, the code on the tin, the name of the supermarket and its address

If b) or c) happens, email John West with the info you noted down, and the address and name of supermarket you got the can from. Once you have a response from John West, forward it to us (along with your original email to them).

What if supermarket staff ask what I’m doing?

Just let them know you’re concerned about the sustainability of tuna and you’re doing some research. You can mention Greenpeace or not – up to you! Of course, you don’t have to say anything – you can just leave the supermarket. Don’t worry, this investigation is totally legal.

THANK YOU! By being a part in this investigation, you will truly be making a positive difference to our precious marine life.


Article Tagged as: Featured, Tuna, tuna