U.K. supermarket chain Asda has become the first retailer to publish the sourcing details of its farmed seafood, according to a release from the Ocean Disclosure Project.
The Ocean Disclosure Project is a global platform for the voluntary declaration of seafood sourcing, with disclosures that contain information on fishery management, catch method, and environmental impact. Asda had previously disclosed all information on its wild-caught, own-brand seafood, and will now carry information on the origins of all its farmed fish and shellfish species as well.
“Increasing the transparency of seafood supply chains is an area where we’ve consistently led the industry, from being the first to disclose wild-caught seafood sources, to being the first to report down to individual vessels bringing in the catch,” Chris Brown, senior director for sustainable business at Asda, said in a release. “The inclusion of farmed seafood in our ODP profile marks another step forward in providing our customers with clear and open information, so they can trust in what they buy from Asda. We hope that other retailers and brands will follow suit.”
Asda has already been a member of the ODP for multiple years, and was one of the first retailers to join the program.
“Asda was the first retailer to publish details of the origin of its own brand wild caught seafood through the ODP in 2015 and earlier this year became the first to publish specific vessel information for boats that catch plaice, haddock and cod,” ODP said.
The ODP was started in 2015 by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership and, to-date, 20 companies have participated in the voluntary disclosure of sourcing information.
“We are pleased to now be able to share information on farmed seafood through the Ocean Disclosure Project and are delighted that Asda has chosen to become the first participant to publish its farmed sourcing data,” Tania Woodcock, project manager for the ODP, said. “They continue to lead the way in best practices. This is an important step for seafood transparency and for the Ocean Disclosure Project and we hope to start publishing farmed sourcing data for other companies in the future."
Photo courtesy of Asda
