U.K. supermarket chain Lidl GB has disclosed its farmed seafood sources for the first time by publishing a list of its farmed fish and shellfish through the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP).
Lidl GB made its wild-caught seafood sourcing known through the ODP in 2018 and has now updated its ODP profile to include information on the origin of both wild-caught and farmed seafood sources.
Its profile, which reflects sourcing for all permanently listed wild-caught and farmed products negotiated for Lidl GB in 2019, shows whether those sources were certified to a recognized standard or in an improvement project and includes sustainability ratings and brief notes on environmental impacts.
The U.K. arm of the German retailer, which has 800 stores in the market, sources eight different species of farmed fish and shellfish, including Atlantic salmon, European sea bass, pangasius, and whiteleg shrimp. In 2019, all of Lidl GB's farmed seafood came from sources certified as responsibly farmed.
“At Lidl GB, we are extremely proud of our commitment to sourcing 100 percent of our own brand fish and seafood from responsible sources, one of the first supermarkets to do so. By voluntarily disclosing our farmed seafood sources, in addition to our wild-caught species, through the Ocean Disclosure Project, we are pleased to commit to even greater transparency to help shape a more sustainable fishing industry,” Lidl GB Responsible Sourcing Manager Amali Bunter said.
ODP Project Manager Tania Woodcock said that by expanding the scope of its seafood sourcing disclosure to include farmed sources, Lidl GB had taken an important step toward the greater transparency of its seafood.
“We welcome their continued commitment to transparency and their renewed participation in the Ocean Disclosure Project,” she said.
ODP was created by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) in 2015. To date, 30 companies, including retailers, suppliers, and aquaculture feed manufacturers from Europe, North America, and Australia have participated.
Last month, Waitrose and Partners also published an ODP profile containing information on the origin of its wild-caught and farmed seafood sources. It revealed that in 2019, more than 92 percent of Waitrose-branded seafood was independently certified as responsibly sourced. The profile also shows that Waitrose supports several fisheries that are working toward certification.
Other ODP participants include U.K. retailers Aldi UK & Ireland, Asda, Co-op Food, Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, Morrisons, and Tesco.
Photo courtesy of Karolis Kavolelis/Shutterstock
