Iberostar Partners with California's FishWise to Launch Global Sustainable Seafood Training Program

FishWise, a non-profit sustainable seafood consultancy based in California, announced a new partnership with international tourism company Iberostar Group to bolster education and training across Iberostar's family of 32,000 employees on responsible seafood consumption.

Responsible seafood consumption is one of three priority action areas under the company's Wave of Change movement. By enabling employees to confidently message Wave of Change concepts to Iberostar's 8 million annual guests, both companies hope to inspire responsible seafood consumption amongst ...

Wild Planet Foods Honored by Whole Foods for Their Sustainable Seafood Sourcing Efforts

Whole Foods Market announced the winners of their seventh annual Supplier Awards, and one of this year's honorees in seafood company Wild Planet Foods.

Whole Foods' Supplier Awards honor suppliers that "embody the company's mission and values through their proven commitment to quality, environmental stewardship, organic integrity, innovation and partnership."

"We're proud to recognize these suppliers who offer outstanding products aligned with our mission, values and the high quality standards that we've championed for nearly 40 years...

Meet the Sustainable Shopper: Young Transitionals Who Are Tech-Savvy

“Sustainability” is a trending topic in the seafood industry and beyond. Everyone wants to convey that their product is sustainably produced. But who exactly are these companies targeting with the term? According to Nielsen, the sustainable shopper tends to be “well-educated young transitionals who live in smaller households and live in urban cities.”

Based on Nielsen’s data, the purchase of sustainable products is on the rise, with 64% of households buying items that are sustainable, which is up 4% from the year prior...

Pacific Seafood Announces New Sustainability-Related Projects for 2019

Oregon-based Pacific Seafood has published their second annual Corporate Social Responsibility Report, and the 47-page document highlights some of the company’s new sustainability-related projects for the new year.

“When Pacific Seafood was founded more than 75 years ago, it was my family’s goal to deliver the freshest seafood on the planet to our customers every day,” said Pacific Seafood CEO and President Frank Dulcich. “Today, our commitment to that goal remains unchanged and stronger than ever. Protecting the longevity of our oceans and...

Thai Union, WWF Release First Sourcing Transparency: Wild Caught Fish and Shellfish Report 

Thai Union has partnered with WWF for years, and now the two have released the first “Sourcing Transparency: Wild Caught Fish and Shellfish Report.”

The report presents data from WWF’s assessment process, which reviews Thai Union’s European supply chain, including information on vessels, species, catch methods, catch areas and more. Thai Union uses the results to identify and develop fishery improvement projects (FIPs).

“WWF believes that for seafood companies to demonstrate their sourcing is truly sustainable they must work towards full transparency of supply chains and...

GSMC Panel Sheds Light On the Seafood Consumer 

Americans consumed 16 pounds of seafood in 2017, which was a big jump from the 14.9 pounds consumer in 2016. However, those numbers are nowhere near the amount of poultry and meat that Americans consume on a yearly basis. According to the USDA, Americans consumed 109 pounds of poultry and 108 pounds of meat in a year. So, how can the seafood industry compete?

That was the hot topic during the National Fisheries Institute’s “The Power of Seafood 2019” panel at the Global Seafood Market Conference last week...

Film Chronicles Changes in Indonesia’s Fish Management, Highlights ‘One-by-one’ Tuna Fishery

London -- A new film ‘An Indonesian tuna tale: Championing sustainability’ illustrates the crucial social and economic role played by Indonesia’s one-by-one tuna fisheries and their efforts to market their catch to global buyers. 

Only a few years ago intense catching by local and foreign fishing fleets, together with illegal fishing had threatened Indonesia’s fisheries resources. But thanks to the Indonesian government’s tough stance against IUU vessels and protective policies towards marine habitats, fish stocks are rebuilding and communities have embraced management ...

Private Label, Store-Label Brands battling With Big Brands for Premium Status

Premium products are more than just price, according to a Nielsen report.

Two years ago the global measurement and data analytics company conducted a study that found that premium products are in “high demand around the world.” In that study, Nielsen defined a premium product as a good that cost “at least 20% more than average price for the category.” However, the analytics company says that premium is “about more than just price.”

Surveyed shoppers said that the perceive a product as premium if it has...

Sysco’s 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report Highlights Their Sourcing Efforts

Sysco is one of the largest purchasers of seafood in North America – so what does responsible sourcing mean to them? The global foodservice distribution company highlighted their efforts in their recently released their 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, a document that highlights their activities and accomplishments for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018.

“Effectively serving our vast customer base requires that we source commodities on a global basis,” the report reads. “Whether commodities originate from the sea or land ...

Evolution of Sustainable Shopping: Companies Have to Get More Aggressive 

Is a certified sustainable label no longer good enough for consumers? According to a new survey published by Nielsen, consumers want to “buy the change they wish to see in the world.” And that means companies must get more aggressive with their sustainability initiatives.

“A new era of sustainability is rising and it’s touching every corner of the world,” the report reads. “Driven in part by consumers, governments, corporations and the growing visible effects of pollution, sustainability initiatives are becoming more ubiquitous, more aggressive, and more expected ...

University of New England Partners with Iceland Universities for Ocean Food Program

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - October 26, 2018

The University of New England (UNE) has announced a partnership with the University of Akureyri and Holar University College at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Iceland for an ocean food program. The partnership will allow UNE’s new professional science master’s degree program in Ocean Fodo Systems to collaborate with the two Iceland universities’ master’s programs in sustainable production and use of marine bio-resources.

“UNE, the University of Akureyri and Holar University College are already working toward the shared goal of ...

Charoen Pokphand Foods Working to End IUU Fishing 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - October 9, 2018

Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) has made a vow to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing within its supply chain, as well as across the region. The agro-industrial and food conglomerate company announced that they are aiming to implement 100% auditing of critical suppliers on “sustainability aspects covering environmental, human rights, and labor issues, specifically on fishmeal suppliers,” by 2020.

CPF is encouraging their fishmeal supplier to develop sustainability in the supply chain, as well as at the origin of the raw material ...

ASC Salmon Standard Recognized by GSSI

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - September 17, 2018

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) announced on Monday that their Salmon Standard has been recognized by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (GSSI).

ASC’s Salmon Standard, which launched in 2012, “requires producers to demonstrate responsible aquaculture to minimize both environmental and social impacts, and requires an unprecedented level of transparency and traceability.” The Standard met all of the components of GSSI’s benchmark, which aims to give clarity on seafood clarification schemes. According to the ASC, their Salmon Standard achieved 100% of the components in governance and operational management ...

Earth Friendly Fishing Certifications Ranked as Important by Seafood Consumers

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Fish Raido with Laine Welch] - September 12, 2018

This is Fish Radio. I’m Laine Welch –

Seafood lovers around the world believe that the biggest threat to the oceans is pollution, followed by overfishing. Those are some of the top takeaways from a survey earlier this year of over 25,000 people in 22 countries.

The survey was done by the public opinion research firm GlobeScan for the Marine Stewardship Council. The non-profit MSC led the movement starting 20 years ago towards certifying fisheries that are managed sustainably ...

Aramark Highlights Sustainability Efforts in New Back-to-School Offerings

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - August 10, 2018

Aramark is focusing on sustainability as college students head back to school.

“Students’ demand for quality, health, convenience and personalization drives every stage of our menu innovation process,” Jeff Gilliam, president of Aramark’s Higher Education business, said in a press release. “Our team layers consumer insights and proprietary data with trends from industry experts and market research partners to identify, create and introduce innovation to each menu we develop for college campuses.”

Efforts from Aramark include ...

MSC Study Finds Seafood Consumers Care About Sustainability, But Price Still a Factor

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - August 8, 2018

A study commissioned by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has found that seafood consumers want sustainability claims in supermarkets independently verified.

Research agency GlobeScan surveyed over 25,000 consumers in 22 countries. Of those surveyed, 72% said that they want independent verification of sustainability claims in supermarkets. That’s a jump from MSC’s 2016 survey, in which 68% of people surveyed said that they want independent verification.

The researchers found that most seafood consumers agree that ...

Mowi ASA Appoints Catarina Martins as New Chief Sustainability Officer

Mowi ASA announced on Friday that they have appointed Catarina Martins as their new Chief Sustainability Officer.

Martins is a veteran with Mowi ASA, having worked as Group Manager of Environment and Sustainability for the past five years. She has a MSc in Marine Biology from Lisbon University in Portugal, a PhD in Animal Sciences from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, and a MBA in Global Seafood from Norwegian School of Economics.  Additionally, she has supplementary education in Corporate Sustainability and other relevant education from Harvard University...

Illinois Soybean Association Takes Step Towards Sustainable Tuna Production 

The global popularity of tuna consumption has resulted in overfishing of wild tuna species, like Pacific bluefin tuna, which is now at three percent of its original population. To address this issue, a collaborative effort is creating sustainable solutions to increase the tuna supply. A new grant from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR) adds ongoing support from the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) checkoff program and will allow Ichthus Unlimited, LLC, to establish a hatchery in the San Diego Bay area. This will be the first ...

Sustainability Rating Drops for Clearwater's Offshore Lobster Fishery

Clearwater Seafoods' offshore lobster fishery in Eastern Canada has lost its "recommended" rating from Ocean Wise, a seafood sustainability recommendation program of the Vancouver Aquarium.

It's more fallout from a 2018 conviction for what the Crown called a "gross violation" of a Canadian fisheries regulation by Halifax-based Clearwater.

In a separate action, the Marine Stewardship Council, another much larger eco-sustainability organization, has moved up its scheduled "full surveillance audit" of Clearwater's offshore lobster fishery by two months to April.

Clearwater asked for the early audit...

SFP Praises Improvement in Global Squid Sustainability

There has been a significant jump in the volume of squid produced globally—nearly one-fifth—that can now be classified as sustainable or improving toward sustainability, and the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership is crediting work done in its Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable as playing a part, according to the partnership.

SFP is monitoring the state of global squid production as part of its ongoing Target 75 initiative, which has set the goal to see 75 percent or more of global seafood volume produced in a manner that is either sustainable or...

Hawaii Seafood Exporter Signs Agreement With TNC to Help Save Snapper, Grouper Fishery

Earlier this week Honolulu-based seafood company Norpac Fisheries Export (Norpac) announced that they have signed a commitment with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to not buy immature snapper and grouper from Indonesia, a move that they hope will help prevent a collapse of the deepwater fishery.

TNC has been working to improve the health of the Indonesian snapper and grouper fishery since 2014. It’s believed that the snapper and grouper fishery in Indonesia is being either fully exploited or over-exploited...

Millennial Shoppers Leading the Way For Sustainability

According to a recent study from Nielsen, millennials are leading the way for sustainability.

After conducting a survey on sustainability sales, Nielsen’s data found that millennials are twice as likely than baby boomers to be willing to change their habits to reduce their impact on the environment. Millennials also noted that they would be more willing to pay more for products that contain environmentally friendly or sustainable ingredients, organic/ natural ingredients, or products that have social responsibility claims.

“The generational divide in sustainability is fueled by technology,” Sarah Schmansky, Nielsen’s VP of...

Australia’s Woolworths Partners with WWF to Improve Sustainable Sourcing

Australian supermarket Woolworths is working to ensure that their customers have access to sustainably sourced seafood. The grocery store chain announced on Tuesday that they are collaborating with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Australia to asses their own brand seafood on shelves and at the seafood counter.

“Our oceans and marine life stocks are under increasing pressure as global populations grow and as demand for seafood soars,” Alex Holt, Woolworths General Manager of Quality, Sustainability and Health, said in a press release ...

Thai Union Group Commended for Ethical Recruitment, Migrants’ Rights at Trust Conference 

Thai Union Group may not have won the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Stop Slavery Award, but the company was commended for their work on ethical recruitment and migrants’ rights.

As previously reported, Thai Union Group was one of six companies shortlisted for the Thomason Reuters Foundation’s annual Stop Slavery Award, an honor that was first created in 2015 to recognize businesses that have set a “gold standard in efforts to eradicate forced labor from supply chains.”

The annual human rights forum Trust Conference took place in London last week ... 

Study Reinforces Fact That Consumers Want More Sustainable Seafood

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - November 6, 2018

More consumers want sustainable seafood, according to the National Restaurant Association.

The National Restaurant Association published a “What’s Hot” culinary forecast earlier this year which noted that customers are “much more knowledgeable about and interested in sustainability.” Since then a Globescan sustainability survey commissioned by the Marine Stewardship Council has found that of nearly 20,000 North American consumers surveyed, nearly half of them are concerned about overfishing. 81% of those surveyed agree that “fish stocks must be preserved for future generations,” and 70% say that brands ...

Menhaden Fishing Operations Sustainable, Says Menhaden Fisheries Coalition 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - October 26, 2018

The Menhaden Fisheries Coalition (MFC) is maintaining that their members’ fishing operations are sustainable and in compliance with menhaden regulations. The statement from MFC comes ahead of the annual Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC).  

“The recent misleading attacks on menhaden fishermen have claimed that the fishery threatens the food supply of marine mammals and other predator species, despite there being no evidence to support this allegation,” the MFC states. “Instead, the best available science points to a thriving ...

Red Lobster Plans to Eliminate Plastic Straws by 2020

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - October 2, 2018

Red Lobster has announced it will begin offering plastic straws only upon request (for non-alcoholic beverages) starting in November and will begin to replace plastic straws with an eco-friendly alternative straw by the end of 2020. This commitment is expected to eliminate almost 150 million plastic straws per year from Red Lobster’s more than 700 restaurants and expands the company’s Seafood with Standards practices beyond sourcing traceable, sustainable and responsibly-sourced seafood to include efforts to support healthy oceans ...

Thai Union, CPF Recognized in Dow Jones Sustainability Indices Emerging Markets

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SeafoodNews] - September 14, 2018

Both Thai Union and Charoen Pokphand Foods PLC (CPF) have been recognized in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices Emerging Markets 2018. This is the fifth consecutive year for Thai Union, and the fourth consecutive year for CPF.

The Dow Jones Sustainability Indices Emerging Markets is a globally recognized sustainability index that evaluates companies.

“It’s a privilege to be recognized for our commitment to sustainability,” Thai Union CEO Thiraphong Chansiri said in a statement. “As ...

Thai Union Remains on FTSE4Good Index, Receives Multiple Sustainability Awards

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [Thai Union] - August 15, 2018

Thai Union announced on Wednesday that they will remain a constituent to the FTSE4Good Emerging Index by the Frank Russell Company.

The FTSE4Good Index Series was launched in 2001 to help investors integrate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors into their investment decisions and as a framework for corporate engagement and stewardship. The indices identify companies that better manage ESG risks and are used as a basis for tracker funds, structured products and as a performance benchmark ...

First Sustainable Crab Project Launched in China 

SEAFOODNEWS.COM [National Fisheries Institute/ Ocean Outcomes] - August 8, 2018

Leading United States and Chinese seafood industry groups, fishermen, and sustainable seafood groups came together today to celebrate the much anticipated launch of the Fujian Zhangzhou Red Swimming Crab Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP).

The FIP–led by the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) Red Crab Council, China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance (CAPPMA), Zhangzhou Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Association (ZAPPMA), and Ocean Outcomes (O2)– is the first project of its kind in China and will work to address the sustainability challenges ...