Aquaculture for all

Publix goes public with seafood sourcing policy

Sustainability +1 more

Publix, which has 1,146 stores across the southern US, has become the country's first retailer to publish a list of all the fisheries they use as suppliers for their seafood department, along with information on their management practices, catch methods and environmental impact.

The data disclosure exercise – part of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP) – is the first time a US company has made such a comprehensive report and represents a dramatic increase in corporate transparency.

“Publix’s seafood sustainability philosophy is to provide transparency for our customers while engaging with our suppliers to drive change in the seafood industry,” said Maria Brous, Director of Media and Community Relations at the US chain. “Sustainability is about continuous improvement. SFP and Publix have shared values and vision for a more sustainable seafood future. Through our collaboration on the Ocean Disclosure Project, we are able to evaluate our current sustainability landscape, prioritize our impact, and support the supply chain from the fishermen to the processors through fishery improvement projects, allowing us to ultimately offer our customers more of the options they are looking for.”

Commenting on the publication of the report, Kathryn Novak, Director of Buyer Engagement for SFP, said: “This is a truly impressive commitment and represents a significant step forward in corporate reporting on sustainable seafood. Consumers, the public, investors, and other stakeholders can now see for themselves where Publix sources seafood, how the fish are caught, and how well the resource is managed. With this announcement, we feel Publix has taken a leadership role in seafood sustainability.”

Publix joins European participants Asda, Biomar, The Co-operative Group, Joseph Robertson, Morrisons, and Skretting.

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