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A consumer group has highlighted a rising practice among supermarkets of offering a cheaper and less nutritious alternative to traditional tinned mackerel, labeling it an example of “skimpflation.” Major supplier Princes, along with Lidl, has begun replacing Atlantic mackerel with jack mackerel—an entirely different species—in their canned fish products. This change has been driven by declining Atlantic mackerel stocks, attributed to years of overfishing, while Chilean jack mackerel is considered more sustainable and costs about one-third as much.
Sue Davies, head of food policy at Which?, expressed concern over the quiet product substitutions, noting that shoppers often pay the same price for goods that deliver significantly lower nutritional value. Jack mackerel, for instance, contains about half the omega-3 and roughly one-third of the vitamin B12 found in traditional mackerel. Some consumers have raised complaints regarding the taste and texture differences, as well as the insufficient clarity of labeling around this replacement fish.
Princes announced in October that it would transition all its canned mackerel products to jack mackerel, citing its compliance with the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) sustainability standards. The company stated that the jack mackerel tins are clearly labeled and were introduced following extensive product and consumer testing, describing the fish as having a milder flavor and firmer texture. Lidl UK also sells jack mackerel under their own brand and affirmed their commitment to responsibly sourced seafood.
Despite its name, jack mackerel is not a true mackerel; it belongs to the Carangidae family, while Atlantic mackerel is from the Scombridae family. Until late 2025, UK regulations only allowed species from Carangidae to be marketed under names such as “jack,” “scad,” “trevally,” or “horse mackerel.” However, following Princes’ switch, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs updated its rules to permit the use of the term “jack mackerel” on packaging. Industry data indicates that wholesale prices for Chilean jack mackerel are about a third of those for Atlantic mackerel.
The Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association warned that this change could confuse consumers, emphasizing the need for clear product identification. Hannah Fennell, the association’s CEO designate, argued that shifting away from Northeast Atlantic mackerel unfairly harms the UK fishing industry while increasing reliance on a less nutritious species sourced from halfway across the globe, which carries a higher carbon footprint. This shift follows the ongoing “mackerel war,” a longstanding dispute involving several countries and the EU over shared mackerel fishing quotas.
Scientific advice on stock management has frequently gone unheeded; catches in the northeast Atlantic have exceeded recommended limits by an average of 39% for the past 15 years, leading to a drastic 75% reduction in stock over the last decade. In response, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) recommended cutting mackerel catches by approximately 70% in 2026 to allow the population to recover. The Marine Conservation Society described the Atlantic mackerel population as being at a “breaking point.” Due to severe depletion, Atlantic mackerel lost its MSC certification, no longer meeting retailers’ sustainability criteria, whereas Chilean jack mackerel is MSC-certified.
In early 2023, Waitrose announced a suspension of fresh, chilled, and frozen mackerel sales citing overfishing concerns, with plans to phase out canned mackerel as stock depletes. The Marine Conservation Society praised this decision as “leading and decisive.” Furthermore, similar changes are being seen in other countries, including the Netherlands and Sweden, where supermarkets have started replacing Atlantic mackerel with jack mackerel products
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