Canada Safeway joins sustainable seafood movement

Canada Safeway is joining the ranks of major corporations moving toward sustainable seafood policies. In April 2011, the U.S.-based parent company took the top spot on the Supermarket Seafood Sustainability Scorecard in Greenpeace USA’s report in Carting Away the Oceans.

Working with SeaChoice, Canada Safeway has already begun implementing the new policy, dropping red-listed species such as Atlantic halibut, orange roughy, Chilean sea bass and shark. Chuck Mulvenna, President and Chief Operating Officer for Canada Safeway, is quoted as saying:

While the oceans have provided healthy food choices for generations, there is clear scientific evidence that many species of marine life are being threatened. Safeway’s seafood sustainability policy outlines our commitment to provide sustainable options for our customers to enjoy.

SeaChoice Canada makes shopping easier

SeaChoice Canada was formed by five Canadian conservation organizations: the David Suzuki Foundation, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Sierra Club British Columbia, Ecology Action Centre and Living Oceans Society. Their aim is to help Canadians support sustainable fisheries and aquaculture: “Working in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s acclaimed Seafood Watch program, SeaChoice undertakes science-based seafood assessments, provides informative resources for consumers, and supports businesses through collaborative partnerships.”

As businesses such as Canada Safeway adopt sustainable practices, the SeaChoice Web site adds them to their SeaChoice Profiles. Consumers wanting to know how to choose seafood and how to influence retailers and restaurants can download a series of guides.

Canada Safeway’s announcement comes two years after the Overwaitea Food Group adopted its sustainability plan. It comes at a time when overfishing, pollution and warming oceans have pushed marine life to the brink of mass extinctions. (State of the Ocean report)

As businesses begin choose more sustainable options, the science behind sustainable fishing is catching up with demand. In the future, fish may reach our plates from a very different direction, such as the water-recirculation system developed by Brooklyn scientist Martin Schreibman. In the meantime, we have help choosing the most sustainable options for our dinner tables.

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Photo used under the Creative Commons Attribution License, with thanks to Eric Molina.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Abbe A.

3:48PM PDT on Sep 12, 2011

it's a step

send a green star

Elisabeth T.

7:13AM PDT on Jul 11, 2011

Good article...

Daniela G.

2:41PM PDT on Jul 8, 2011

How does my signature in the petitions of care2 can actually help?
thankyou

Susan S.

11:13AM PDT on Jul 8, 2011

Way to go Safeway. Safeway is also unionized, and doesn't sell live lobsters (like Superstore).

Guy K.

10:13PM PDT on Jul 7, 2011

Way to go Safeway! our helping the Earth recover from Centuries of over fishing.

KS G.

4:55AM PDT on Jul 7, 2011

Thanks for the article.

4:03AM PDT on Jul 7, 2011

good for them

Monica D.

12:32AM PDT on Jul 7, 2011

This sounds very good.

Julianna D.

9:32PM PDT on Jul 6, 2011

Thanks

Dave T.

7:24PM PDT on Jul 6, 2011

Oops, comment was too long so end missing...
here it is-
The nuclear power industry of Europe dumps it's radioactive waste off the coast of Somalia then gets western navies to attack them and media to denigrate them when they (the so called pirates) try to stop it.
The best way to effect change is to vote with your dollar!
Avoid buying the products that are packaged in once used wrappings,
foods produced by monocropping, precooked foods, pesticides, herbicides, companies that supply materials for killing civilians in other lands etc etc etc.
Cheers
:D