Leslie Simmons is the senior director of business development for the fresh goods team at Oakland, California, U.S.A.-based nonprofit Fair Trade USA, where she focuses on the strategic growth and development of certified programs to drive ethical sourcing and monitor the impact of produce, floral, and seafood companies.
Increasingly, seafood supply chains are looking for ways to increase long-term assured supply by working to create stability in producing communities and operations. Fair Trade USA has been working on a community-based model since 1998, starting with coffee, and then branched out into a range of agricultural products, including seafood in the program in 2014.
SeafoodSource spoke with Simmons about how Fair Trade’s community-focused program works in the seafood sector.
SeafoodSource: What are some differentiators between the Fair Trade program and other sustainability certification programs?
Simmons: Fair Trade USA is the only certifier in the fair trade movement that covers fish and seafood. Our certification and standards cover the supply chain from the fisheries and farm workers to the landing sites and manufacturing facilities to create transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain.
Our certification covers social, economic, and environmental components. Many certifications only offer an environmental component, but our standards go beyond that to include a deeper level of coverage. We are the only certification globally that embeds social responsibility into our certification for seafood. We want to ensure that workers and the environment are protected by building stronger supply chains and mitigating risk for our retail and foodservice partners and consumers.
SeafoodSource: How do those differences translate to value for consumers?
Simmons: Consumers are looking for ethically sourced products from brands and companies that protect people and the planet. Over 60 percent of consumers recognize the Fair Trade Certified label, and one in three say they are more likely to purchase products with the label. Around 78 percent of consumers say they trust the Fair Trade Certified label.
In a highly competitive market, grocers aim to meet consumers’ expectations while also communicating their own values via their stated ESG goals. Retailers are now making specific commitments to purchase Fair Trade products across categories or items. They are also building our standards into their brand and sourcing strategies.
SeafoodSource: Seafood production often occurs in areas that lack strong governance, infrastructure, and services necessary to deliver a reliably responsible product to market. How does Fair Trade play a role in ensuring these needs are met.
Simmons: First, by strengthening governance. Fair Trade USA sets rigorous standards for seafood production, including environmental sustainability, labor rights, and traceability. This helps ensure that producers adhere to responsible practices, even in regions with variable governance. Fair Trade USA also works closely with local organizations and governments to build capacity and improve governance in seafood-producing regions.
Second, it helps improve infrastructure. Fair Trade Premiums and other funds can be used to invest in infrastructure such as processing facilities, cold storage, and transportation networks. This helps ensure that seafood can be produced, handled, and transported safely and efficiently.
Third, Fair Trade helps ensure traceability. Fair Trade standards require strict traceability throughout the supply chain – from the fishing grounds to the consumer. This helps prevent illegal fishing, mislabeling, and other harmful practices.
Fourth, Fair Trade USA’s standards promote sustainable fishing practices such as avoiding overfishing, bycatch, and other destructive methods. This protects marine ecosystems and ensures the long-term viability of seafood stocks.
Finally, the program empowers producers. Fair Trade certification ensures that producers receive fair prices for their seafood, which can help them invest in their businesses and communities. This also incentivizes the adoption of more sustainable practices.
By addressing these challenges, Fair Trade USA helps create more reliable and responsible seafood supply chains in diverse regions around the globe. This benefits consumers, producers, and the planet.
SeafoodSource: Are there limits to the scale of operations that can be Fair Trade-certified?
Simmons: A decade ago, when we launched the Fair Trade certification program for seafood, we developed our Capture Fisheries Standard (CFS) to address the unique needs of small-scale wild-caught fisheries. This has supported education for fishers and workers and increased access and market exposure. We are currently limiting certification for larger vessels that are out at sea for more than 30 days while we evaluate the best ways to include larger-scale operations.
Several years ago, we incorporated aquaculture into our Agricultural Production Standard (APS) and have since certified farms and production of varying sizes around the globe.
SeafoodSource: With 25 years of work overseeing multiple commodities, what advice would you give to a seafood company wondering how to drive a positive impact in producing communities?
Simmons: We know there are many competing priorities for seafood companies to deliver high-quality, healthy, and sustainable products. We also know that the seafood industry needs rigorous, transparent solutions that address sustainability and social responsibility throughout the supply chain.
We’ve been certifying a diverse group of global farms, fisheries, and factories for over 25 years. We take the lessons we’ve learned across all the categories we work in, including coffee, tea, cocoa, packaged goods, produce, floral, seafood, home goods, apparel, beauty, and more, to continuously improve the rigor of our standards and better our model. Certification with Fair Trade USA ensures compliance with a strong set of standards while positively impacting and empowering fishing communities.
Seafood products that are sold globally with the Fair Trade Certified label directly meet the needs of buyers and consumers while building resilient communities. We are focused on enhancing market education, collaboration, and activation to continue to drive program adoption and increased impact.
