BOISE, ID, June 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Albertsons Companies (NYSE: ACI) announced today that 100 percent of the seafood in its celebrated waterfront BISTRO® and Open Nature® lines of Own Brands products will soon display the Responsible Choice™ logo for sustainable sourcing.
The Responsible Choice logo signifies that the product meets Albertsons Cos.’ comprehensive Responsible Seafood Policy, which requires seafood be caught or farmed in ways that safeguard future supplies and help keep ecosystems thriving. The logo also signifies that sourcing is third-party audited to ensure the highest standards.
The Responsible Choice Logo will be on over 100 unique items in the popular waterfront BISTRO® and Open Nature® brands. These seafood items are carried throughout Albertsons Cos.’ over 2,200 Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, ACME Markets, Randalls, Haggen and other banner stores.
Specifically, the Responsible Seafood Policy mandates products to be:
- Green or Yellow rated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program; or
- Certified to an equivalent environmental standard; or
- Sourced from fisheries or farms making measurable and time-bound improvements.
“For many of our customers, sustainability is just as important as quality, convenience and price,” said Chad Coester, Senior Vice President, Own Brands. “We’re committed to delivering the best of all of the above, and I’m proud of our Own Brands and Seafood Sourcing teams for pushing to meet this target 2½ years ahead of our Responsible Seafood Policy."
The respected non-profit sustainable seafood consultancy, FishWise, is the company’s longtime partner in these extensive efforts to offer sustainably sourced seafood.
“We want to congratulate Albertsons Companies on achieving this major milestone towards their 2022 commitment,” said Tobias Aguirre, CEO FishWise. “This is a huge accomplishment, especially for a company of this size, and is the result of hard work and unwavering dedication to their Responsible Seafood Program goals."
Today’s announcement is just one of many important steps the company has taken to protect the marine environment. In 2019, Albertsons Cos. completed the phase out of freshwater eel (unagi) from sushi products. The phase-out was part of their sushi commitment to ensure that the most popular wild and farmed-raised seafood used in prepared sushi are sourced using sustainable options. Eel (unagi) was removed from the sushi offerings 3½ years ahead of its 2022 deadline. Wild eel populations are in dangerous decline and the process of raising farmed eel is unsustainable for both the species and the oceans.
About Albertsons Companies
Locally great and nationally strong, Albertsons Companies (NYSE: ACI) is one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States. Albertsons Cos. operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under 20 well-known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, and Carrs. Albertsons Cos. is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2019 alone, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Company gave nearly $225 million in food and financial support. These efforts helped millions of people in the areas of hunger relief, education, cancer research and treatment, programs for people with disabilities and veterans outreach.
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