Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable Joins the Ocean Disclosure Project, Publicly Discloses Squid Sourcing

Published 03/12/2024

The Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable (Squid SR) has published details of its participants’ squid sourcing in the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP), becoming the first precompetitive collaboration to participate in the project.

The Squid SR focuses on engaging supply chains to support the long-term sustainability of squid fisheries. The roundtable is composed of international importers and buyers of squid sourced mainly from Asia-Pacific and South American squid fisheries. The roundtable has published an ODP profile containing a list of the fisheries supplying squid to 21 out of the 22 Squid SR participants in 2023, alongside information on the sustainability and environmental impact of those fisheries.

The Squid SR participants that have voluntarily shared information about their sourcing are: Aquastar, Beaver Street Fisheries, Cabomar, Confremar Group, Congalsa, Export Packers, Fortune International, GlobalpeZ, Grupo Alfrio, Grupo Profand, High Liner Foods, Lanzal Productos del Mar S.L., Lund’s Fisheries/Sun Coast Calamari, Lyons Seafoods, Netuno USA, PanaPesca, Quirch Foods, Santa Monica Seafood, Seafresh Group, Simplot Australia Pty, Ltd., and Wofco.

Tania Woodcock, Project Manager for the Ocean Disclosure Project, said, “We are pleased to welcome the Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable to the Ocean Disclosure Project as the first initiative of its kind to publicly disclose sourcing information through the project. By participating in the ODP and making the details of their seafood sourcing publicly available, the members of the roundtable are advancing the transparency of their squid products. We hope that this will support the aims of the roundtable to improve the sustainability of global squid fisheries."

Carmen Gonzalez-Valles Martinez, Director of supply chain roundtables at Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, said, “The Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable has taken a significant step in disclosing its squid sourcing for the first time in 2024. By participating in the ODP, we have gained a better understanding of the Squid SR’s representativeness in the global squid supply chain and its leverage by fishery. As a result, we will be actively seeking to engage new companies and new markets in the Squid SR to further advance its leverage in global squid supply chains.”

In compiling this sourcing information, some SR participants encountered challenges in identifying fisheries characteristics such as vessel flags or specific fisheries regions, highlighting the impact of international market requirements that allow imported squid products to be labeled as Squids nei. In these cases, a precautionary approach has been applied to the information disclosed in the ODP profile by identifying bigger regions. SR participant companies have committed to improve their traceability and conduct due diligence protocols to evaluate the risks in their supply chains.

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership started the ODP in 2015 to provide a valuable information resource for responsible investors, seafood consumers, and others interested in sustainable seafood. To date, 46 companies from around the world have participated, including major retailers, fish feed manufacturers, suppliers and distributors, and meal kit and subscription food delivery companies.

The Global Squid Supply Chain Roundtable’s full profile can be viewed at: https://oceandisclosureproject.org/companies/global-squid-supply-chain-roundtable

Greencore Fulfills Ambition to Disclose Seafood Sourcing on Ocean Disclosure Project

Published 30/11/2021

Convenience food manufacturer Greencore Group plc has today published details of its seafood sourcing in the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP).

Based in the UK, Greencore supplies chilled, frozen, and ambient foods to all major supermarkets in the UK, as well as convenience and travel retail outlets, discounters, coffee shops, foodservice, and other retailers. Greencore has voluntarily disclosed information about the origins of its seafood ingredients through the ODP. The company has published an ODP profile containing a list of its wild-caught and farmed seafood sources alongside information on the country of origin, certification and ratings, and environmental impact of production.

Greencore Purchasing Controller – Seafood, Victoria Broekhuizen said: "We have worked really hard with our suppliers on fish sourcing and disclosing our progress is crucial; it helps drive accountability through transparency. We are committed to continuous improvement, and this way our progress is visible to all."

Tania Woodcock, Project Manager for the ODP, said, "By participating in the Ocean Disclosure Project, Greencore has acted on its commitment to environmental transparency and successfully fulfilled its ambition to disclose the sources of its wild-caught and farmed seafood ingredients.”

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership started the ODP in 2015 to provide a valuable information resource for responsible investors, seafood consumers, and others interested in sustainable seafood. To date, 39 other companies including retailers, suppliers, and aquaculture feed manufacturers from around the world have participated. Other new participants this year have included seafood suppliers Thai Union Group, LP Foods, and Hilton Seafood UK.

Greencore's full profile can be viewed at: https://oceandisclosureproject.org/companies/greencore

The Town Dock Makes Domestic Squid Sourcing Public

Published 29/09/2021

Rhode Island-based seafood company The Town Dock is become the latest company to participate in the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP).

The Town Dock is a family-owned calamari supplier based in Point Judith, Rhode Island in the US. The company published an ODP profile containing a list of its domestically sourced wild-caught calamari, alongside information on the environmental sustainability of those sources. Listed are The Town Dock’s Longfin Inshore Squid (Doryteuthis peallei) and Northern Shortfin Squid (Illex illecebrosus), the only two squid species in the world to be MSC-certified sustainable.

“We are participating in the Ocean Disclosure Project because we continue to seek ways to demonstrate and underscore the importance of sustainably caught seafood. As a provider of the only two certified sustainable squid species, we saw this as an opportunity to become a resource for those interested in supporting sustainable fishing practices,” said Ryan Clark, president and CEO of The Town Dock.

“We’re pleased to have The Town Dock join ODP. We hope this partnership inspires others and showcases the importance of practicing sustainable fishing and transparency of sourcing,” said Tania Woodcock, project manager for the Ocean Disclosure Project.

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) started the ODP in 2015 to provide a valuable resource for responsible investors, seafood consumers, and others interested in sustainable seafood. To date, 38 other companies, including major retailers and suppliers from around the world, have participated.

The Town Dock’s full ODP profile can be viewed at: https://oceandisclosureproject.org/companies/the-town-dock

LP Foods Makes Seafood Sourcing Public on Ocean Disclosure Project

Published 15/06/2021

Processor and exporter LP Foods Pte Ltd has become the latest company to participate in the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP).

Based in Singapore and Vietnam, LP Foods is one of the first seafood suppliers in Southeast Asia to voluntarily disclose its seafood sourcing through the ODP by sharing information about the origins of its shrimp, octopus, and fish products. The company has published an ODP profile containing a list of its seafood sources alongside information on the country of origin, certification and ratings, and environmental impact of production.

On joining the ODP, an LP Foods representative said, "We are proud to be one of the first Southeast Asian companies to disclose farmed and wild caught seafood sourcing information through the ODP platform. LP Foods is committed to transparency and to improving our sourcing. We endeavor to provide more sustainable products in the marketplace to help ensure sustainable consumption and product quality."

Tania Woodcock, Project Manager for the ODP said, "We are pleased to welcome LP Foods to the Ocean Disclosure Project. By becoming one of the first companies in Southeast Asia to participate in the ODP, LP Foods has shown strong leadership and a commitment to transparency in seafood."

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership started the ODP in 2015 to provide a valuable information resource for responsible investors, seafood consumers, and others interested in sustainable seafood. To date, 37 other companies including retailers, suppliers, and aquaculture feed manufacturers from around the world have participated. Other new participants this year have included seafood suppliers Thai Union Group and Hilton Seafood UK.

LP Food's full profile can be viewed at https://oceandisclosureproject.org/companies/lp-foods

Stop & Shop joins Ocean Disclosure Project

Published 16/02/2021

Stop & Shop announced today that it has partnered with the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP) to voluntarily report its seafood sources. This partnership adds another layer of transparency to the supermarket’s already comprehensive seafood policy. While Stop & Shop’s existing policy ensures that its seafood is only sourced from sustainable and traceable fisheries and farms, working with the ODP will now make information on the original sources of Stop & Shop’s private label and wild-caught seafood available to customers.

“As an East Coast retailer, fish is an important part of our business – as is how we source it,” said Gordon Reid, President of Stop & Shop. “With the approaching Lenten season, it’s important our customers know how committed we are to sustainable seafood practices and this additional layer of transparency will help us do just that.”

Tania Woodcock, Project Manager for the Ocean Disclosure Project, said, “By voluntarily participating in the Ocean Disclosure Project, Stop & Shop has demonstrated its willingness to be held accountable for its seafood commitments and to provide more transparency. Stop & Shop’s disclosure reveals that its sourcing practices are aligned with its sustainable seafood policy.”

Stop & Shop also works with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), a nonprofit organization that helps to assess whether seafood items entering stores meet the criteria set forth by Stop & Shop’s seafood policy. Through this partnership, Stop & Shop and GMRI work with seafood suppliers to ensure traceability to the fishery or farm source for all seafood products sold in the company’s more than 400 stores across the Northeast.

“Tracing seafood to its source is an important part of Stop & Shop’s policy, enabling them to be transparent about those sources,” said Kyle Foley, senior program manager for GMRI. “Joining the Ocean Disclosure Project is a strong demonstration of Stop & Shop’s commitment to transparency around their seafood and one more way to contribute to the global efforts to improve the sustainability of seafood.”

Stop & Shop’s commitment to the ocean goes deeper than its work with ODP and GMRI. Stop & Shop recycled more than 350 million pounds of material including plastics and cardboard in 2020 and has made investments in local environmental conservation groups such as Riverkeeper, which protects NY’s Hudson River, The Coastal Research & Education Society of Long Island, Inc., and Westchester Land Trust in Westchester County, NY.

Stop & Shop’s seafood sourcing profile can be viewed on the ODP website at https://oceandisclosureproject.org/companies/stop-and-shop.

Giant Food joins Ocean Disclosure Project

Published 06/10/2020

Giant Food, the leading greater Washington D.C. regional grocery chain, today announced that it has joined the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP), a global platform where retailers voluntarily share insight into their sourcing methods to ensure sustainable seafood practices. Giant’s sustainable seafood policy has always ensured that every seafood item sold in stores meets sustainability criteria, but the grocer is now taking it a step further enlisting ODP to make the original sources of all its own brand, wild-caught seafood transparent and available to the public.

“We want shoppers to be able to trust that when they purchase any seafood product from Giant, that it is coming from a verified source,” said Ira Kress, President of Giant Food. “Participating in the ODP represents our assurance to total transparency and being able to offer products that are in line with our commitment to sustainable sourcing throughout every department of the store.”

Giant Food is also a partner of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), which ensures that all seafood that enters stores is vetted against the specific criteria in Giant’s sustainable seafood policy. “Knowing where your seafood comes from is a critical element of any effort to buy sustainable seafood. By joining the ODP, Giant Food is pulling back the curtain and being transparent about the original sources of the seafood sold in stores,” said Kyle Foley, sustainable seafood senior program manager at GMRI.

For more information on Giant’s commitment to sustainability, visit giantfood.com/pages/sustainability.

Lidl GB Expands Transparency to All Seafood

Published 08/09/2020

Publishes farmed seafood sources through the Ocean Disclosure Project

The Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP) is pleased to announce that UK supermarket Lidl GB today voluntarily disclosed its farmed seafood sources for the first time, by publishing a list of its farmed fish and shellfish through the ODP.

Lidl GB first disclosed its wild-caught seafood sourcing through the ODP in 2018 and has now updated its ODP profile for 2020 to include information on the origin of both wild-caught and farmed seafood sources. The profile, which reflects sourcing for all permanently listed wild-caught and farmed products negotiated for Lidl GB in 2019, shows whether those sources were certified to a recognized standard or in an improvement project and includes sustainability ratings and brief notes on environmental impacts.

Amali Bunter, Senior Responsible Sourcing Manager at Lidl GB said:

"At Lidl GB we are extremely proud of our commitment to sourcing 100 percent of our own brand fish and seafood from responsible sources, one of the first supermarkets to do so. By voluntarily disclosing our farmed seafood sources, in addition to our wild-caught species, through the Ocean Disclosure Project, we are pleased to commit to even greater transparency to help shape a more sustainable fishing industry.“

Lidl GB sources eight different species of farmed fish and shellfish, including Atlantic salmon, European seabass, pangasius, and whiteleg shrimp, the most popular farmed seafood products in UK retail. In 2019, all of Lidl GB’s farmed seafood came from sources certified as responsibly farmed.

Tania Woodcock, project manager for the Ocean Disclosure Project, said:

“By expanding the scope of its seafood sourcing disclosure to include farmed sources, Lidl GB has taken an important step toward even greater transparency of its seafood. We welcome their continued commitment to transparency and their renewed participation in the Ocean Disclosure Project.”

The ODP was started by Sustainable Fisheries Partnership in 2015 to provide a valuable information resource for responsible investors, seafood consumers, and others interested in sustainable seafood. To date, 30 companies, including retailers, suppliers, and aquaculture feed manufacturers from Europe, North America, and Australia, have participated. Other ODP participants include British retailers Aldi UK & Ireland, Asda, Co-op Food, Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, Morrisons, Tesco, and Waitrose & Partners.

Lidl GB’s full profile can be viewed at: https://oceandisclosureproject.org/companies/lidl-gb

Waitrose & Partners Makes Seafood Sourcing Public on Ocean Disclosure Project

Published 26/08/2020

Disclosure shows nearly all of Waitrose-branded seafood responsibly sourced

UK supermarket Waitrose & Partners, a brand of the John Lewis Partnership, has become the latest UK supermarket to participate in the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP), by voluntarily disclosing a list of its wild-caught and farmed fish and shellfish sources. Waitrose today published a 2020 ODP profile containing information on the origin of both its wild-caught and farmed seafood sources.

The profile, which reflects sourcing for Waitrose's own-label seafood in 2019, shows whether those sources were certified to a recognized standard or in an improvement project and includes sustainability ratings and brief notes on environmental impacts. It reveals that in 2019, more than 92 percent of Waitrose-branded seafood was independently certified as responsibly sourced. The profile also shows that Waitrose supports several fisheries that are working toward certification.

Melissa Tillotson, Fisheries and Aquaculture Manager at Waitrose & Partners, said: “At Waitrose & Partners, we only buy seafood that is responsibly fished or farmed: we are committed to responsible seafood sourcing and as such have had a strategy on this for over 15 years. Waitrose has a proven track record of influencing change across the food industry through our long-term partnerships with our suppliers. We are pioneers of ground-breaking CSR initiatives and we see this level of transparency as being key to the success of our business going forward.”

Tania Woodcock, Project Manager for the Ocean Disclosure Project, said: “We applaud the commitment of Waitrose & Partners to responsible sourcing of seafood and welcome its participation in the Ocean Disclosure Project. By disclosing the origin of its seafood, Waitrose contributes to an increasingly transparent landscape for seafood retail in the UK and joins a growing number of leading companies that have participated globally.”

The ODP was started by Sustainable Fisheries Partnership in 2015 to provide a valuable information resource for responsible investors, seafood consumers, and others interested in sustainable seafood. To date, 29 companies, including retailers, suppliers, and aquaculture feed manufacturers from Europe, North America, and Australia, have participated. Other ODP participants include British retailers Aldi UK & Ireland, Asda, Co-op Food, Lidl GB, Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, Morrisons, and Tesco.

Waitrose’s full profile can be viewed at: https://oceandisclosureproject.org/companies/waitrose-partners

Beaver Street Fisheries joins Ocean Disclosure Project

Published 07/05/2020

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) is pleased to announce that Florida-based frozen seafood importer, manufacturer, and distributor, Beaver Street Fisheries has become a participant in the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP).

Beaver Street Fisheries has voluntarily published a disclosure containing a list of wild-caught and farmed species sourced and sold in its fresh and frozen lines in 2018. Beaver Street Fisheries is only the second company to disclose farmed seafood sourcing in North America through the ODP’s annual reporting process.

“Beaver Street Fisheries has been a long-standing partner of SFP and is engaged in almost all of our Supply Chain Roundtables. Joining the Ocean Disclosure Project is another great indicator of their commitment to seafood sustainability and is a great addition to their sustainability portfolio,” said Katie Mihalik, Buyer Engagement Program Manager at SFP.

SFP started the ODP in 2015 to provide a valuable information resource for responsible investors, seafood consumers, and others interested in sustainable seafood. To date, 26 other companies in Europe, North America and Australia have participated. Other ODP participants have included North American suppliers High Liner Foods and Tradex Foods.

Casey Marion, Director of Sustainability Initiatives and Quality Management Systems at Beaver Street said, “In a world where we are competing over natural resources, transparency and industry collaboration are key ingredients to sustainable seafood, and we appreciate the work that SFP has done to develop Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP), and see this as a great platform to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability. Now more than ever, the future of our industry depends on what we do today to ensure the fisheries and the communities that support them are here for future generations.”

Beaver Street’s full profile can be viewed at: https://oceandisclosureproject.org/companies/beaver-street-fisheries

Food Lion joins Ocean Disclosure Project

Published 25/02/2020

An industry leader in sustainability, Food Lion announced today that it has joined the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP), a global platform where retailers voluntarily share insight into their sourcing methods to ensure sustainability. All seafood products sold in Food Lion stores are fully traceable to the wild fishery or farm, and come from sustainable sources, and Food Lion’s Ocean Disclosure Project public profile outlines the origin of wild-caught species offered for sale at Food Lion’s more than 1,000 stores. The easy-reference platform enables customers to make more informed decisions when shopping with Food Lion and will be updated annually.

The ODP was created by Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, a non-profit organization that works directly with the seafood industry to improve the sustainability of seafood.

“When you buy seafood at Food Lion you can trust that the products you buy in our stores are brought to you in a way that you can feel good about,” said Meg Ham, president of Food Lion. “Being a good neighbor to us means offering the products and services our customers expect from Food Lion, but also sourcing and packaging those products and operating our stores in a sustainable way. It’s important to us that our customers know where their seafood comes from, so it only makes sense to join the ODP and make public the origin of wild-caught seafood sold in our stores.”

Food Lion works closely with a nonprofit science partner, the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), to vet all seafood that enters stores against the specific criteria in Food Lion’s sustainable seafood policy.

“Being able to trace seafood back to its source has always been an important part of Food Lion’s seafood policy, and joining the ODP adds a new level of transparency that is exciting and important for driving change on global seafood sustainability issues,” said Kyle Foley, senior program manager at GMRI.

The announcement marks the latest sustainability commitment for Food Lion, long an industry leader in operating in a responsible way.

In September, the retailer announced a new commitment to restrict certain chemicals from all private-label products and packaging, working in partnership with Retail Business Services, which develops private brand products for each of the Ahold Delhaize USA local brands. The commitment also includes working with suppliers to ensure products meet high standards for ingredients beyond what’s required by law today and includes a collaborative effort with suppliers to address root causes of contaminants.

Additionally, Food Lion is the only retailer in the country that has received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR award for 18 consecutive years. Since beginning a partnership with the EPA and ENERGY STAR in 2001, Food Lion's energy reductions are equivalent to powering nearly 100,000 homes for one year.

For more information on Food Lion’s commitment to sustainability, click here.