Trader Joe's to Adopt Sustainable Seafood Standards
In addition to the mandatory Country of Origin and Wild/Farm-Raised information currently provided on seafood labels, they are in the process of enhancing package labeling for all seafood items to include information on species' Latin names, origin and catch or production method.
2 Apr 2010 --- US retailer Trader Joe´s has said it will only stock sustainable seafood by December 31, 2012. In a statement the retailer said, “In our efforts to offer seafood options that fit customer needs ranging from food safety and taste, to concern over the environment, we have established the following goal: all of our seafood purchases will shift to sustainable sources by December 31, 2012. This applies to all formats of seafood we offer: frozen, fresh, canned, etc.”
The company said they aree working with third-party, science-based organizations to establish definitions and parameters for this goal. “It is our intent to have this goal function as a seafood policy that addresses customer concerns including the issues of over fishing, destructive catch or production methods, and the importance of marine reserves.”
Trader Joe´s said it aims to use purchasing power to leverage change within the seafood supply community. “We support leaders within the industry who are making positive efforts to "get off the red list" (e.g. freshwater farmed salmon, closed-containment farmed shrimp).”
In addition to the mandatory Country of Origin and Wild/Farm-Raised information currently provided on seafood labels, they are in the process of enhancing package labeling for all seafood items to include information on species' Latin names, origin and catch or production method.
“Based on customer feedback and in support of our work to source sustainable seafood we stopped selling Chilean Sea Bass in 2005, Orange Roughy in July of 2009, and Red Snapper in March of 2010. As with all the decisions we make about the products we offer, this is an ongoing process. We look forward to sharing updates on this work in the near future.”
