Rome, Italy – LIDL Italy recently published a position paper on sustainable seafood procurement on its website. In October 2015, LIDL was evaluated in Greenpeace Italy’s tuna ranking and finished near the bottom, as the company did not offer specific standards for its seafood purchasing or sell sustainable tuna products in stores. After less than two years, LIDL has developed a policy that includes important steps to avoid overfishing and illegal fisheries, and has introduced three tuna products in the Italian market caught by purse seine nets without fish aggregating devices (FADs). The company promises to have a fourth introduced by the end of the year.
Additionally, LIDL Italy has stated that it will work to end transshipment at sea in its seafood supply chains. The retailer has adopted the same commitment as LIDL Germany and Denmark to sell only seafood that is not transshipped at sea. The news follows similar actions on transshipment from global pet food giants Mars and Nestlé.
In response to LIDL Italy’s new policy, Greenpeace Italy Oceans Campaigner Giorgia Monti said:
“LIDL Italy’s actions on sustainable seafood procurement and transshipment at sea are significant steps in the right direction. We continue to see consumers around the globe demanding more responsibly-caught seafood products, and retailers are answering the call by adding those products to store shelves.
“LIDL Italy’s actions on transshipment put direct pressure on major seafood suppliers like Thai Union to act, and should be duplicated in other LIDL markets worldwide. Unfortunately, some LIDL markets have not shown the same ambition. LIDL UK and Spain, who also recently published seafood policies, have failed to take action against transshipment at sea. There should not be different standards for LIDL customers depending on where they live in Europe. It is time for LIDL as a group to take a strong stand against transshipment at sea and the illegal fishing and human rights abuses often associated with it.
“LIDL Italy must continue to show progress by making a strong commitment against unsustainable fishing methods. It should commit to clear targets for moving to only more sustainable methods like pole and line or purse seines without FADs. LIDL’s policy also relies too heavily on eco-certifications like MSC as a guarantee for sustainability. The recent MSC scandal and outcry from the NGO community highlight the limits of that approach. Supermarkets should make careful choices based on strong internal sustainability criteria and audits without simply trusting an eco-certification.”
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Contact: Perry Wheeler, Global Seafood Communications and Outreach Manager, P: +1 301 675 8766
