Health stores axe krill over penguin fears

FEARS for Antarctic sealife have prompted Britain’s biggest health food chain to stop selling all products made from krill.

The move by Holland & Barrett yesterday follows warnings from environmental campaign group Greenpeace.

Krill, a shrimp-like creature that contains an oil rich in Omega-3, is said to be good for the human heart, eyes and brain. But it is also a major food source for seals, whales and penguins and Greenpeace says the fishing fleets that hoover it up from the Antarctic are putting their food chain at risk.

Spokesman Louisa Casson said: ‘Krill is a vital food source for Antarctic wildlife, so many of these vessels are fishing in the feeding grounds of animals.’

Britain is the world’s fourth-largest market for krill oil and 17 per cent of us have taken Omega-3 capsules made from it.

Holland & Barrett, which sells capsules of red krill oil at £15 for 20, will now take all krill-based products off its shelves.

Chief executive Peter Aldis said: ‘Protecting the oceans is important to us. We will therefore be replacing our krill-based supplements with algal oils.’

However, other stores including Boots, Amazon and several supermarkets have not yet followed suit. Miss Casson said: ‘Retailers are putting their green reputations at risk by stocking products which threaten food supplies for penguins.’

World governments will this year decide whether to create a vast 700,000 squaremile Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary which would be off-limits to fishing vessels.

A YouGov survey for Greenpeace found that 87 per cent of people support the creation of what would be the biggest protected area on Earth.

And 65 per cent think retailers should not sell products that use krill fished in areas being considered for protection.