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