Last updated on September 5th, 2012 at 04:24 pm
Building on its current commitment to sustainably source wild-caught seafood, Supervalu Inc., one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers, has announced a significant expansion of the company’s seafood sustainability program. Specifically, Supervalu has entered into a partnership with the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) to implement a new, comprehensive procurement policy to ensure sustainable sourcing of farm-raised seafood. The company officially unveiled this agreement in conjunction with its participation at The International Boston Seafood Show, North America’s largest seafood trade event, which concluded Tuesday.
Through this agreement, Supervalu will adopt Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification for the company’s aquaculture procurement policy. Supervalu’s goal is to work closely with GAA and suppliers to ensure that all farm-raised products are BAP certified to the farm level by early 2013, where certification standards are available.
“We are delighted with the addition of Supervalu to our rapidly growing list of companies to endorse the BAP program. We commend Supervalu for making this decision, taking a leading role in the industry, and for being a strong advocate and voice of change for their customers,” says Peter Redmond, VP of global development for GAA.
In addition to this agreement, Supervalu announced the discontinuation of six wild-caught seafood species due to unsustainable sourcing concerns. This action follows Supervalu’s commitment with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), announced last spring, to source 100 percent of its top 20 wild-caught seafood products from sustainable fisheries or those on a clear pathway to sustainability by 2015.
“We’ve always viewed our sustainable seafood policy as an ongoing commitment. With this new agreement, Supervalu is fully committed to sustainable sourcing practices for both wild-caught and farm-raised seafood,” says Chris Hooks, Supervalu’s VP of meat, seafood, dairy and frozen foods. “When combined with our decision to discontinue six unsustainable seafood species from our stores, our customers can be confident that we are doing our part to ensure a viable seafood supply both now and in the future.”
The six specific seafood items being discontinued at Supervalu and its banners are: orange roughy, shark, monk, bluefin tuna, skates, and hoki. After careful evaluation over the past several months, Supervalu officially ended its sourcing of these species last week, meaning that when current supplies of these products are exhausted, they will no longer be for sale in company stores.
Minnesota-based Supervalu operates under nine retail brands including: Acme®, Albertsons®, Cub Foods®, Farm Fresh®, Hornbacher’s®, Jewel-Osco®, Shaw’s/Star Market™, Shop ‘n Save® and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy®.
