Ocean Brands, a seafood company in Canada, has announced a major step forward in its commitment to environmental stewardship and a strengthening of its commitment that all products are manufactured with high ethical standards.
Canned tuna and salmon product lines will be getting a major overhaul starting later this year.
Ocean Brands has committed that by the end of 2017, all Ocean's brand light and value added products will be sourced from Free Swimming (purse seines fishing fish aggregating device (FAD)-free) or Pole and Line caught tuna.
"As we strive to be a leading supplier of products that are responsibly caught and produced in a socially responsible way, Ocean's is proud to take another important step to complete our vision of only offering our customers tuna products that are caught in ways that minimize impacts on our oceans, " said Aidan Hughes, President of Ocean Brands. "This is a natural progression from the steps we've already taken to offer our customers more sustainable options."
In early 2012, Ocean Brands became a founding member of the International Pole and Line Foundation and were the first national brand to introduce Pole and Line caught tuna to the Canadian market. Since then, the company has been working on ways to reduce by-catch in all fisheries sourced from. Since 2013, all Ocean's brand flavoured tuna products were produced with Free Swimming caught fish (FAD free) and since 2015 Ocean's brand Albacore products were sourced from either circle hook or Pole and Line fisheries.
The company is also announcing its commitment to source and label (effective 2016 season) all Ocean's Sockeye salmon from Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) approved sources.
To ensure all products are manufactured with high ethical standards, all suppliers have signed Ocean Brands' Supplier Code of Conduct. To ensure the Supplier Code of Conduct is met, the company has retained SAI Global to perform independent audits of all suppliers. Ocean Brands expects these independent audits to be completed in the fall of 2016.
"Ensuring human and labour rights are upheld is key to any sustainability commitment, and all of our suppliers share in our goal of providing a safe and positive work environment, added Hughes. "We are pleased to make these major changes to our sourcing and procurement policies to be a leader in bringing responsibly caught and ethically produced seafood to our Canadian customers."
