Delhaize America on Thursday announced that it adopted a new sustainable seafood sourcing policy.
By 31 March 2011, all suppliers must adhere to the policy or show that they're implementing a plan to be compliant to sell seafood in Delhaize America's 1,600 East Coast stores. The Belgium-based supermarket company's banners include Bloom, Bottom Dollar, Food Lion, Hannaford and Sweetbay.
The policy requires suppliers to verify that their wild seafood originates from well-managed fisheries, preferably certified by programs such as the Marine Stewardship Council, and that their farmed seafood is certified by the Global Aquaculture Alliance's Best Aquaculture Practices.
The policy also encourages suppliers to source locally and requires that all seafood be fully traceable to the port of landing or farm.
Delhaize America worked with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) in Portland, Maine, to develop its sustainable seafood sourcing policy. As the first step in implementing the policy, all Delhaize America banners are collecting information from their seafood suppliers and collaborating with GMRI to evaluate the data.
"We want our shoppers to have confidence that seafood they buy from us is from fisheries that are viable and maintained for the future," said George Parmenter, a corporate responsibility manager for Delhaize America. "The health of fisheries is important to us as a retailer, both for the long-term product supply and for reducing the environmental impacts of products we sell. Our company is committed to operating responsibly, and our new program reinforces this commitment."
