From pond to shelf, farmed shrimp goes through a complex supply chain made up of thousands of actors. Data about its farm and country of origin, species, embedded environmental impact, and conditions of production can be easily lost along the way. Compelled by consumer and investor demand for better transparency, retailers are beginning to realize the need for full end-to-end traceability systems to ensure they can track products and feed ingredients back to their source.
When Hyatt first deployed its global sustainable seafood goal in 2014, creating a culture of awareness around the issue of seafood sustainability was one of the primary objectives. At Hyatt, as with many global hoteliers, the purchasing of seafood is decentralized. Hyatt-branded hotels rely on their chefs and purchasing teams around the world, independently working with menu planners, suppliers, and communities to advance the sustainability of the seafood they offer their guests. By looking for certified products and working with supply chains to transition fisheries and aquaculture farms to more sustainable, responsible practices, Hyatt hotels and resorts push to increase both the quality and quantity of more sustainable seafood available around the world.
The Kroger Co., one of the world’s major food retailers, is one of the largest US supporters of Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) and driving change on the water by encouraging global fisheries to adopt more sustainable practices. Since the beginning of its partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 2009, Kroger has engaged in 43 unique FIPs working to improve global seafood supply chains and communities that depend on them.
Partners for ten years, Sodexo and WWF renewed their commitment today to reduce Sodexo’s environmental impact and achieve its carbon reduction target. The renewal of the partnership is a part of Sodexo’s Better Tomorrow 2025 corporate responsibility roadmap.
Since 2010, WWF has been supporting Sodexo to improve its sustainable food offer and sourcing practices. The partnership pairs WWF’s technical expertise and thought leadership on sustainability with Sodexo’s global market to protect and conserve the Earth’s resources by reducing the impact of Sodexo’s operations on the environment. WWF’s partnership with Sodexo presents an opportunity to make a positive impact on the health of the planet as well as the health of Sodexo’s consumers – and to drive larger changes in the food system.
Mangroves are semi-aquatic plants that make up some of the most dynamic and complex ecosystems on our planet. Found along two-thirds of the planet’s tropical coastlines, they are an intricate network bridging life between land and sea. Mangrove forests are host to many rare, threatened, and iconic species and home to millions of people who depend on coastal ecosystems for food and livelihoods.
But this critical ecosystem is disappearing quickly. Since 1940, approximately half of global mangrove cover has been lost. During the 1970s-1990s, especially high rates of land conversion for shrimp farming may be accountable for 30-50% of this habitat loss.
In honor of World Oceans Day, Walmart announced as of July 2020 its Great Value brand canned tuna will be fully sourced from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fisheries, based on supplier reports, or from credible, time-bound Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs). This announcement aims at providing its customers with greater access to canned tuna that supports healthier oceans and fishing communities.
The Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST)—a major industry forum involving more than five hundred leading companies worldwide from across the seafood supply chain—released on Monday, March 16th the first-ever global standards for tracking seafood products from point of origin to point of sale.
These newly released Standards and Guidelines for Interoperable Seafood Traceability Systems, v1.0 are a critical step forward in the fight against illegal fishing and unethical labor practices and are game-changing for an industry under increasing pressure to demonstrate its compliance with high standards for ethical sourcing.
The Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina is one of the properties in Hyatt’s global portfolio that sets the bar high when it comes to the procurement of more sustainable, responsible seafood. Not only does the hotel work to actively raise awareness among their guests about the responsible choices that can help protect marine ecosystems, they have also built a strong partnership with a local Maryland seafood supplier, J.J. McDonnell, who also keeps sustainability top of mind and assists the property in sourcing continually more seafood coming from MSC certified fisheries and ASC certified farms.
Leading global foodservice distributor Sysco Corporation recently announced in its 2019 Corporate Responsibility Report strong progress towards achieving its 2020 seafood sustainability goals.
At the close of 2018, Sysco’s suppliers shared that the company had achieved 93% of its 2020 goal to source 100% of its top 15 wild-caught Sysco Portico Brand seafood products from fisheries that are either MSC-certified, in MSC full assessment, or engaged in a comprehensive Fishery Improvement Project (FIP).
For a country like Japan that boasts one the largest seafood consumption footprints in the world, promoting the sustainability of the seafood industry is critical to the health of the oceans and those who depend on them for their livelihood.
On November 14th, WWF-Japan hosted its first Sustainable Seafood Hotel Roundtable to better understand how the hospitality industry can come together pre-competitively to support a more sustainable and responsible seafood availability in the country.
