Brands and Supermarkets Replace Tinned Mackerel with Jack Mackerel

Major brands and supermarkets, including Princes and Lidl, have replaced traditional tinned mackerel fillets with jack mackerel fillets. This industry-wide substitution by brands and retailers has been driven by overfishing and dwindling stocks of traditional mackerel, forcing a shift in what is offered to consumers on shop shelves.

Despite being a much cheaper fish to source, jack mackerel is sold at a similar price to traditional mackerel. According to financial figures reported by the Financial Times and market observations, Chilean jack mackerel costs about a-third of Atlantic true mackerel, yet shoppers continue to pay comparable prices for the tinned products.

Beyond the pricing concerns, the substitute fish offers different nutritional values to consumers. Jack mackerel is a completely different species and has roughly half as much omega-3 compared with traditional mackerel, introducing a notable health aspect that is important to many shoppers who purchase the tinned seafood for its nutritional benefits.

Sue Davies, the head of food policy at consumer group Which?, has criticized the lack of transparency surrounding these alterations. 'While manufacturers face genuine supply chain pressures and sustainability challenges, they have a responsibility to shoppers to be completely upfront when they change a product’s recipe,' Davies stated. She added that 'skimpflation can feel particularly sneaky as shoppers may not realise a product has changed until they get it home and eat it.'

Canned seafood reviewer Marcus Ansell has also condemned the alternative fish, asserting that 'jack mackerel is of significantly lower quality.' Ansell noted, 'It is quite a bad tinned fish really. I’ve had a lot of messages and some comments on my videos from people who thought they were buying real mackerel and were very disappointed when they tried it.' Furthermore, Ansell stated that 'it’s not a substitute at all,' explaining that 'it’s a completely different species and is nothing like mackerel in its taste, texture, or smell … and there’s the health aspect, which is important to some people.'

Social media users have expressed similar frustration over the hidden switches, with one poster exclaiming, 'So they’re scamming us on mackerel now,' while another remarked, 'Can’t even get some tinned fish without being legged over.' Meanwhile, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs changed labelling rules last year to allow the species to be marketed specifically as jack mackerel. In response to the ongoing discussion, brand Princes stated that the 'species is clearly identified on our products, and we would consider sourcing North-East Atlantic mackerel again if sustainable management is restored and MSC certification regained.'