Sobeys on Wednesday released its sustainable seafood sourcing policy, emphasizing that it’s committed to working with problematic fisheries and farms on improving their practices instead of simply “delisting” unsustainable species.
Though the Canadian retailer has already stopped carrying shark, skate, orange roughy and bluefin tuna, delisting unsustainable species is only a “last resort” when all options have been exhausted, said David Smith, VP of sustainability for Sobeys, which operates more than 1,300 stores in all 10 Canadian provinces.
“Although some organizations believe we should stop selling species with major issues, our view is that we can most directly effect change by engaging with those producers and helping them change their practices,” said Smith.
“Although we fully support sustainable seafood certification programs and recognize them as part of the solution, the fisheries most able to become certified in the near future are those that are in better shape. We believe more near-term impact and progress toward improved seafood sustainability can be made by also focusing on more challenged species and sources that are a long way from being certified as sustainable,” added Smith. “That’s why we are focused on seeking collaborative solutions to the biggest problems first and concentrating on those typically left out of the eco-labeling process in the near term.”
As part of its effort to collaborate with fisheries and farms, Sobeys also announced on Wednesday that it is teaming up with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, which will provide strategic and technical guidance to the retailer and its seafood suppliers.
Sobeys’ sustainable seafood initiative has been in the works for months. In December 2009, Sobeys committed to selling farmed seafood certified according to the Global Aquaculture Program’s Best Aquaculture Practices.
Also on Wednesday, Sobeys addressed the challenge of customer education when it comes to seafood sustainability, explaining that its customers seek greater understanding of where the problems are and what is being done to correct them.
The retailer has committed to stop selling species with major sustainability issues, unless plans are in place to address those issues, by 2013.
A growing number of Canadian retailers, including Overwaitea, Loblaw, Metro and Federated Cooperatives, are developing and implementing sustainable seafood sourcing policy.
Sobeys has annual sales of more than CAD 14 billion. Its banners include Sobeys, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Price Chopper, Thrifty Foods and Lawtons Drug Stores.
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