2Sustain

After eight months of pressure from Greenpeace and concerned consumers, Costco has announced updates to its sustainable seafood policy.

As outlined on the Greenpeace website, Costco has pledged to:

• Eliminate the following 12 red list species, which will not return unless the company can find an option certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC): Atlantic cod, Atlantic halibut, Chilean sea bass, Greenland halibut, grouper, monkfish, orange roughy, redfish, shark, skates and rays, swordfish, bluefin tuna.

• Play more of a leadership role within aquaculture.

• Partner with World Wildlife Fund to examine their remaining wild-caught species and determine how to best transition to the most sustainable alternative.

• Acknowledge the role that the canned tuna industry plays within the global sustainable seafood movement as it shifts to more sustainable tuna sources in all sectors (fresh, frozen, and canned).

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All the canned tuna Tesco sells is independently certified as 100 percent dolphin-friendly by the Earth Island Institute. And, the company is committed to buying all of its seafood from responsibly managed fisheries.

New last week, the company expanded its commitment to sustainable seafood even more with the announcement that all of its canned tuna will be caught by the pole-and-line method by the end of 2012.

To achieve this target, Tesco says it will work with suppliers and independent conservation organizations to guarantee the sustainability of pole-and-line caught tuna. The company will analyze possible impacts on the marine food chain, improve traceability of tuna through the supply chain and ensure that food safety standards meet stringent requirements. (more…)

Concerns about global fish stocks have prompted several companies in the food sector to adopt sustainable seafood policies. (See earlier posts about Walmart Canada, Metro, Delhaize America and others.)

Now, High Liner Foods Inc., a leading North American processor and marketer of seafood, has announced that it, too, is committed to sustainable seafood. The company says it will source all of its seafood from certified sustainable or responsible fisheries and aquaculture farms by the end of 2013.

Specifically, High Liner Foods says that it will require wild-caught seafood and farmed products to either: (more…)

Following similar news from other grocery retailers such as Walmart Canada and Metro, Delhaize America has announced last week that all of its supermarkets are now part of a new sustainable seafood program.

The new comprehensive seafood policy –which applies to all supermarkets in the chain, including Hannaford, Sweetbay, the Food Lion family of banners and Bottom Dollar Food — requires suppliers to verify that seafood is coming from sources managed for sustainability. It applies to all seafood in the stores, including fresh, frozen and packaged fish and shellfish. (more…)

Earlier this week, Greenpeace upped the ante in its sustainable seafood campaign by explicitly targeting Costco with a press release and a less-than-flattering YouTube video.

Greenpeace, which has published a sustainable seafood guide since 2008 (see an earlier post here), says Costco lacks a transparent and meaningful sustainable seafood policy and has continually proven to be one of the poorest performing big box stores in the United States in terms of seafood sustainability. (more…)