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ENSURING SUSTAINABLE AND TRACEABLE SEAFOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
is a continuous work in progress, and some grocery chains are leading
the way in their initiatives.
For example, Quincy, Mass.-based Ahold Delhaize USA, which
operates more than 2,000 food stores and distribution centers
nationwide, is now utilizing sustainably-sourced seafood across all of its
retailers' seafood products.
In 2018, the retailer began a comprehensive initiative in partnership
with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) to vet and audit all
seafood products - whether they were private brand or national brand
- on a continuous basis to " ensure they meet Ahold Delhaize USA
companies' rigorous sustainable seafood policy, " said Mark Eastham,
sustainable products lead for Ahold Delhaize USA.
Now, Ahold and GMRI have assessed more than 3,000 products,
according to Eastman.
" The companies of Ahold Delhaize USA have strong commitments to
enabling greater transparency because we believe consumers deserve
to know where their food comes from and that it contains ingredients
they trust, " Eastman said.
While the company's sustainable seafood efforts first focused on
its private brand assortment, they have now expanded to ensure that
the full seafood assortment sold by each of its U.S. brands - whether
national or private label - are in compliance with " our comprehensive
sustainable sourcing policy, " Eastman noted. " Each brand continuously
reviews its policies and procedures to ensure it can provide seafood
that customers feel good about buying. "
Recent sustainable seafood sourcing initiatives from its brands
include Stop & Shop carrying Best Aquaculture Practices-certified
sashimi grade, frozen farm-raised Coho salmon, " which has resonated
well with their customers, providing a great value for the quality of fish, "
according to Eastman. In addition, the supermarket chain is looking to
expand its local sourcing as their " Fresh Catch " program has become a
focal point in the service case, he said.
Meanwhile, Giant Food offers wild blue catfish via a partnership with
local commercial fishermen.
" Native to the Mississippi River, blue catfish are considered an
invasive species to the Chesapeake Bay. Left unchecked without natural
predators, blue catfish population growth presents major issues for the
Bay and its local species, " Eastman said.
The local fishermen use methods like haul seines that allow fish
to be captured alive and any unwanted species returned to the bay
unscathed, according to Eastman.
" Giant Food customers reacted positively to the local and sustainable
wild catfish offering, " he said. " It's now an everyday offering at all Giant
Food stores. "
As part of the GMRI initiative, suppliers must provide information on
each product, including how and where fish were caught or farmed,
and whether the fish is sourced from a fishery or farm that is certified to
a Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative-benchmarked standard, engaged
in a fishery improvement project, or assessed as low risk by GMRI.
" Ahold Delhaize USA has demonstrated great leadership with their
approach to seafood sustainability. Their sustainable seafood policy
is comprehensive in its scope, including all fresh, frozen, and canned
seafood, and they implement strict traceability requirements of
suppliers to ensure they know where their seafood is coming from, "
GMRI Senior Program Manager Kyle Foley said.
To " continuously improve the ways in which we address traceability, "
Ahold Delhaize USA works with suppliers on an ongoing basis to
track and monitor where seafood is coming from, leveraging internal
reporting processes and tools like Trace Register, according to Eastman.
Through ADUSA companies' relationship with the Ocean Disclosure
Project (ODP), a global platform where retailers voluntarily share insight
into their sourcing methods to ensure sustainable seafood practices,
another layer of traceability is added.
" For ADUSA brands, this means that the original sources of all own
brand, wild-caught seafood are available to the public. "
Tracking every vessel
Another notable traceability program is from West Des Moines, Iowabased
Hy-Vee and its wholly-owned distribution subsidiary, Perishable
Distributors of Iowa. They disclosed a complete list of fishing vessels
that supply its fresh, frozen, and canned private-label tuna, FishWise
said in a news release last June.
FishWise released its tuna vessel list report as of April 2022. After
FishWise and Hy-Vee cross-referenced each vessel name with the ISSF
Proactive Vessel Register, regional fisheries management organization
(RFMO) vessel lists, RFMO IUU vessel lists, the FishWise labor allegations
list, and the Global Fishing Watch database, FishWise and Hy-Vee " were
unable to identify any vessels directly associated with human rights
and/or labor rights concerns, " they said.
" While this is not a guarantee that vessels supplying Hy-Vee with
private-label tuna are completely free of these concerns, it is a satisfactory
finding that all longline and purse-seine vessels were able to be publicly
identified and cross referenced with vessel blacklists, " they said.
Hy-Vee is " committed to providing our customers with seafood
that is environmentally sustainable, from legal sources, and produced
and processed under fair labor conditions, " Hy-Vee Vice President of
Meat and Seafood Jason Pride said. " This means working closely with
our partners at FishWise and our suppliers to proactively identify and
mitigate risks in our seafood sourcing. "
Meanwhile, Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix, which partners with the
ODP, Sustainable Fisheries Project (SFP), and other organizations on
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