Walmart Canada on Tuesday pledged to sell only sustainable seafood by 2013, as part of its long-term sustainability goals.
The retail giant's new sustainable seafood policy covers all seafood — wild and farmed, fresh and frozen. Walmart Canada will source wild fish only from fisheries certified as well managed and sustainable according to the Marine Stewardship Council, ensure its farmed-seafood suppliers adhere to the Global Aquaculture Alliance's Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP), and buy tuna only from International Seafood Sustainability Foundation members.
"We're taking a first step to help sustain the future of fish," said Sam Silvestro, divisional merchandise manager for Walmart Canada. "We believe that by offering sustainably harvested fish at affordable prices we can help improve the industry overall."
Walmart Canada's commitment to sustainable seafood is in line with its U.S. counterpart. For its U.S. stores, the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer has pledged by 2011 to source wild fish only from MSC-certified fisheries and to ensure that all of its farmed-shrimp suppliers are BAP-certified suppliers. At the beginning of last year, nearly half of the seafood sold at its U.S. stores, in terms of volume, had received either MSC or ACC certification.
Walmart Canada outlined its sustainable seafood policy to suppliers during a meeting at the company's headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario, last month. Over the coming months, the company will work with its seafood suppliers, as well as the MSC, to assess the sustainability of its products.
Walmart Canada operates 317 stores nationwide.
In the United States, Walmart has more than 4,300 stores. Two weeks ago, the retailer announced that groceries represents more than half of its annual sales.
April 13, 2010
