Take action and urge your supermarket chain to stop selling farmed salmon
Canadian west coast supermarket chain, Overwaitea Food Group (OFG), has taken a strong step towards ensuring more sustainable seafood for its customers by discontinuing a key seafood item found on Greenpeace’s Redlist – open net-pen farmed salmon. Farmed salmon is a major seller in the Canadian retail market, but it is also one of the most unsustainable products available. The salmon farming industry is taking a huge toll on our east and west coast marine ecosystems.
Call the other seven supermarket chains now!
Contact your supermarket chain at the number below.
Metro Inc.: 1.866.595.5554
Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, Food Basics, Marché Richelieu, Les 5 Saisons and Marché Ami.
Sobeys: 1.888.944.0442
Sobeys, IGA Extra, IGA, Needs, Price Chopper, Foodland, Thrifty Foods, Les Marchés Tradition, Western Cellars and Rachelle-Béry.
Federated Co-operatives Ltd.: 1.306.244.3311 (not toll free)
Co-op, Marketplace, The Grocery People, Super A Foods and Bigway Foods.
Costco Canada: 1.800.463.3783
Costco Wholesale
Loblaw Companies Ltd.: 1.800.296.2332
Loblaws®, Loblaw Great Food™, Real Canadian Superstore®, Zehrs Markets®, Zehrs Great Food™, Fortinos®, Your Independent Grocer®, valu-mart®, nofrills®, Wholesale Club™, Cash & Carry®, Provigo®, Maxi®, Maxi & Cie®, Club Entrepot®, Les Entrepots Presto®, Atlantic Superstore®, Dominion® (in Newfoundland and Labrador), SaveEasy®, Atlantic Cash & Carry®, Atlantic SuperValu®, Extra Foods®, T&T® and Osaka™.
Canada Safeway: 1.800.723.3929
Safeway
Walmart Canada: 1.800.328.0402
Walmart and Walmart Supercentre.
72%
Store names
Overwaitea Foods, Save-On-Foods, PriceSmart Foods, Cooper’s Foods, Urban Fare and Bulkley Valley Wholesale.
Private label brands
Western Classics, Western Family, Value Priced and Good & Kind.
Overwaitea Food Group (OFG) is back at the top of the ranking with a green rating and major changes in its seafood procurement over the last year. OFG continues to exclude unsustainable product and support more responsible alternatives, with the recent discontinuation of open net-pen farmed salmon as a prime example. Taking these bold steps will mean long-term gain, not just for our oceans but for consumer confidence in their seafood procurement decisions.
Species sold on Greenpeace’s Redlist: Fraser River sockeye salmon, Alaska pollock in sushi, rockfish & red fish, tropical shrimp & prawns, Atlantic sea scallops, haddock, and Atlantic cod.
- Stopped sourcing open net-pen farmed salmon and discontinued fresh and frozen Alaska pollock filets with only sushi products left to address.
- OFG amended its sustainable seafood policy to include all products containing marine ingredients and set an implementation goal of 2020. The company also clarified how procurement decisions are made by creating a clear decision tree.
- OFG has revamped its consumer-facing educational material in its stores and has updated its website.
- OFG is working to educate its customers about species of concern by including red SeaChoice labels on products in key stores.
- The company is actively seeking alternatives to big seller Redlist products like tropical shrimp and prawns.
- OFG currently does not push its national brand suppliers to provide key information on product labels about where and how the species was caught or farmed.
68%
Store names
Loblaws®, Loblaw Great Food™, Real Canadian Superstore®, Zehrs Markets®, Zehrs Great Food™, Fortinos®, Your Independent Grocer®, valu-mart®, nofrills®, Wholesale Club™, Cash & Carry®, Provigo®, Maxi®, Maxi & Cie®, Club Entrepot®, Les Entrepots Presto®, Atlantic Superstore®, Dominion® (in Newfoundland and Labrador), SaveEasy®, Atlantic Cash & Carry®, Atlantic SuperValu®, Extra Foods®, T&T® and Osaka™.
Private label brands
President’s Choice®, Blue Menu®, no name® and Seaquest®.
Canada’s largest food retailer continues to move towards its sustainable seafood goals by fine-tuning its procurement practices and setting clear internal and external yearly objectives. Loblaw’s supply chains, staff and customers are all well informed about the company’s sustainability initiatives and Loblaw representatives regularly engage with governments on key issues. As Loblaw continues toseek greener alternatives it must keep a close eye on red-graded products ingreen packaging and remember not to solely rely on eco-labels andcertifications to guarantee a better product option. Sometimes there are bestchoices among the better ones.
Species sold on Greenpeace’s Redlist: Fraser River sockeye salmon, Alaska pollock, hake, king crab, rockfish & red fish, monkfish, tropical shrimp & prawns, farmed Atlantic salmon, haddock, Atlantic cod, fresh yellowfin tuna, and Atlantic halibut.
- Removed canned Redlist yellowfin tuna and other unsustainable products including American red snapper from sale.
- By the end of 2012, Loblaw will have detailed information about all products containing marine ingredients sold by the company.
- Loblaw is actively seeking alternatives to high volume species of concern including farmed salmon and tropical shrimp. Loblaw plans to introduce new more sustainably farmed species in 2012.
- Loblaw has increased the level of information available to consumers on its website.
- Loblaw is revising and expanding its wild-caught and farmed sourcing criteria to be completed in 2012. Loblaw’s more recent acquisition, T&T, has set targets for policy implementation.
- Information available to customers on seafood product labels needs to be improved.
63%
Store name
Safeway
Private label brands
Safeway, Safeway SELECT, Pantry Essentials, Priority Pet, Mom to Mom, Open Nature,, Eating Right, Bright Green, Signature Café, Primo Taglio, Waterfront Bistro, O Organics and Lucerne.
Safewayhas held its third place position but has received a surge in score on accountof its increasing clarity with respect to what it will and will not sell andhow it arrives at those decisions. The combination of plans to increase employee education on seafood sustainability issues and a face-lift for its consumer materials will help raise awareness about the changes occurring in Safeway stores and why they are important for our oceans. Safeway must remember that ocean destruction may be lurking in other products and commit in 2012 to bring those categories in line with its policy.
Species sold on Greenpeace’s Redlist: Fraser River sockeye salmon, Alaska pollock, hake, King crab, rockfish, tropical shrimp & prawns, farmed Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sea scallops, haddock, national brand canned yellowfin tuna and Atlantic cod.
- Safeway amended its seafood sustainability policy to include its private label canned tuna.
- Safeway developed a clear decision tree to help employees make seafood procurement decisions according to the company’s sustainability policy.
- Safeway is actively seeking alternatives to large volume Redlist species like open net-pen farmed salmon and has set a plan in place for the other Redlist products.
- In 2012, Safeway will conduct a labeling pilot project that will feature on select items key information about how and where the species was caught or farmed.
- Safeway’s seafood procurement policy currently does not apply to all product categories containing marine ingredients like pet food.
- Despite being a western Canadian company, Safeway continues to sell various Redlist Atlantic species.
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56%
Store names
Metro, Metro Plus, Super C, Food Basics, Marché Richelieu, Les 5 Saisons and Marché Ami.
Private label brands
Selection and Irresistibles (with sub-brands for each).
Metro has climbed a spot in the ranks this year and has received a passing grade for its efforts over the last year. The company continues to work hard to gather seafood product information and identify what should stay in stores and what should stay in the ocean. Metro has a lot of work to do to meet its goals and identifying ways to invest in greener alternatives for its big ticket items found on the Redlist is a must.
Species sold on Greenpeace’s Redlist: Fraser River sockeye salmon, Alaska pollock, hake, King crab, rockfish, monkfish, tropical shrimp & prawns, farmed Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sea scallops, haddock, Atlantic cod, yellowfin tuna, Atlantic halibut, swordfish, and Arctic surf clams.
- Metro stopped sourcing Redlisted red fish and various other unsustainable products including red mullet, grouper, northern red snapper, southern red snapper, white hake, and parrotfish.
- Metro has confirmed that its sustainability policy will apply to all products in its stores containing marine ingredients. This phase of policy implementation will commence in 2014.
- Metro launched a trail-blazing labeling program for its frozen private label seafood. Products contain key information about where and how the species was caught or farmed to help customers make more informed buying decisions.
- To help identify species not meeting its policy criteria, Metro conducts risk assessments on its seafood products. The result is a sustainability rating that informs each product’s sourcing status.
- Metro has increased it communication about its seafood sustainability initiatives to its customers and to the wider public.
- Once a species is identified as red-graded, if not removed from sale it is placed on a “continuous improvement” list that does not necessarily reflect the urgency of the situation in some fisheries and aquaculture operations.
55%
Store names
Walmart and Walmart Supercentre.
Private label brands
Walmart, Great Value, Equate, Special Kitty and Ol’ Roy.
Walmart has held its rank this year but its score has jumped above the passing mark due to its continued efforts to reduce seafood products of concern from sale. To date, Walmart’s sales of fresh seafood have been minimal but with the introduction of in-store fresh seafood vendors this all may change. In addition to the new fresh products, as the company works towards its 2013 sustainability goals, it needs to make sure there is a solid plan in place for other products like pet food and supplements that may also contain Redlist species.
Species sold on Greenpeace’s Redlist: Fraser River sockeye salmon, Alaska pollock, tropical shrimp & prawns, farmed Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sea scallops, and canned yellowfin tuna.
- All Redlisted Atlantic cod will be gone from Walmart stores in 2012.
- Walmart requires its new fresh fish vendors that are being piloted in some stores to adhere to the company’s sustainability policy.
- Walmart has partnered with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) to help the company trace all of its seafood back to the sea and identify ways to engage with the fisheries and farming operations to help influence needed change.
- Walmart is exploring more sustainable sourcing options for its private label canned tuna line.
- Walmart has not yet mapped out how its sustainability policy will cover other products containing ingredients from the sea like chowder, pet food and sauces.
- Walmart is slowly starting to improve the information on its seafood labels but more detailed information about the species sold is not readily available to consumers.
54%
Store names
Sobeys, IGA Extra, IGA, Needs, Price Chopper, Foodland, Thrifty Foods, Les Marchés Tradition, Western Cellars and Rachelle-Béry
Private label brands
Compliments (with sub-brands including Compliments, Sensations, Compliments Organic and Compliments Collection) and Signal.
Sobeys dropped a spot in the ranking since 2011 but its score has increased to a passing grade. Sobeys’ approach to focus on fisheries engagement over removing species of concern from sale can help encourage change on the water, but the company needs to act faster to discontinue products that do not have existing, credible, measurable improvement projects in place. This approach also means that until Sobeys meets it policy implementation deadline, it is hard to tell how much seafood on sale is meeting its own sustainability criteria.
Species sold on Greenpeace’s Redlist: Fraser River sockeye salmon, Alaska pollock, hake, King crab, rockfish & red fish, monkfish, tropical shrimp & prawns, farmed Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sea scallops, haddock, Atlantic cod, yellowfin tuna, Atlantic halibut, Arctic surf clams, and Chilean sea bass.
- Sobeys stopped sourcing Redlisted longline swordfish. Sobeys also committed to no longer source Greenland halibut from areas of concern like the Arctic.
- Sobeys is working with its partner, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), and other organizations to engage with various fisheries and aquaculture operations in need of improvement to help provide incentive for change on the water.
- Sobeys has a variety of consumer-engagement tools that help educate its customers on its seafood sustainability initiatives and certain species sold in stores.
- Sobeys has indicated that its sustainability commitments will eventually apply to all products containing ingredients from the sea, but the company has not yet mapped out how or when this phase will begin.
- Sobeys continues to sell the most Redlist species of all the retailers.
- Information about how and where seafood sold at Sobeys’ was caught or farmed is still lacking on most products.
54%
Store names
Co-op, Marketplace, The Grocery People, Super A Foods and Bigway Foods.
Private label brands
Country Morning and Country Morning Gold.
When it comes to improvement in overall score, Federated Co-operatives Ltd. (FCL) is this year’s “most improved” supermarket chain. The company has taken great strides to increase traceability of its products, identify problematic species and educate its customers through its “Reel in the Solution” program. Moving forward, FCL must make sure that it maps out how its policy will apply to all product categories, sets a timeline for implementation and continues to weed out species that are not measuring up.
Species sold on Greenpeace’s Redlist: Fraser River sockeye salmon, Alaska pollock, hake, King crab, rockfish, tropical shrimp & prawns, farmed Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sea scallops, haddock, Atlantic cod, and yellowfin tuna.
- With its partner organization, SeaChoice, FCL launched a consumer education program that includes in-store signage, special features in its flyers, and labels on products denoting SeaChoice "Best Choice" green-ranked and "Some Concerns" yellow-ranked. Additional information is provided to customers in a reference manual at the seafood counter and handouts on red ranked items are provided.
- FCL is working with its suppliers to ensure that they begin to adhere to the company's sustainability requirements.
- FCL has not yet identified how its sustainability policy will apply to all products in its stores that contain ingredients from the oceans such as pet food and sauces.
- FCL suppliers are aware of the company’s sustainability requirements.
- A phase-out plan has not been developed for higher volume Redlist species like farmed Atlantic salmon.
43%
Store names
Costco Wholesale
Private label brands
Kirkland
Costco remains in last place in the ranking but improved in score since 2011. Costco remains the only company still without a passing grade on seafood sustainability despite the fact that the company sells relatively little seafood compared to other retailers. It’s time for Costco to really get onboard and be more clear about how decisions are made about what seafood to source and what to avoid. There are signs that positive change could be afoot, but Costco needs to be more active in engaging its supply chains and work to seek better alternatives if it’s going to stay true to its green commitments.
Species sold on Greenpeace’s Redlist: Fraser River sockeye salmon, Alaska pollock, king crab, tropical shrimp & prawns, farmed Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sea scallops, and haddock.
- Since last year’s ranking, Costco removed Redlist yellowfin tuna from its shelves.
- Costco representatives engage with various groups and different industry forums on seafood sustainability issues.
- Costco’s seafood sourcing policy only covers fresh and frozen seafood. Canned seafood products and other product categories like pet food are not covered.
- The company has not identified any progress on seeking alternatives for the remaining Redlist species on sale.
- Information about the company’s seafood sustainability initiatives is not readily available to its members in stores or on the website.
- Costco seafood products do not provide enough information about where and how the species was caught or farmed to help its members make more informed purchasing decisions.
