Australian retailer Coles scooped the Supermarket of the Year accolade in the Marine Stewardship Council Oceania’s latest annual Wave of Change Awards, handed out ahead of Australia’s largest seafood conference, Seafood Directions.
The awards, which aim to recognize “changemakers” in the sustainable seafood sector throughout Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, are voted on by local MSC staff and scored on three criteria: impact on market, leadership and communication.
“The team at Coles have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to source MSC seafood across all of their ranges from canned, frozen and deli counter at over 700 stores. In 2015, Coles were the first supermarket in Australia to obtain MSC traceability certification for seafood deli counters and have continued to drive the conversation on sustainable seafood in the industry, creating ripple effect through the supply chain,” said Anne Gabriel, MSC Oceania program director.
“These Wave of Change Awards celebrate partners that are forging ahead on sustainability commitments and creating positive change through the industry,” she said.
Other winners included Simplot Australia and New Zealand brand Sealord. Simplot took Brand of the Year for its John West Tuna – the largest range of MSC certified tuna in Australia, while Sealord’s hoki fries won New Product of the Year.
