Sysco Corporation (NYSE:SYY) has pledged to assess its current seafood supply and to develop ways to improve the sustainability of its seafood-buying practices and standards by 2015, as part of a multiple-stage World Wildlife Fund (WWF) commitment.
Specifically, the company will obtain its top 10 Sysco brand wild-caught seafood species—which represent about 52% of the Sysco-branded seafood product line—from fisheries that are either certified, under assessment by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), or involved in fishery improvement projects with WWF. These wild-caught seafood products include tuna, clams, cod, pollock, shrimp, scallops, salmon, calamari, lobster, and crab.
Sysco has agreed to encourage its tuna suppliers to engage in the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation in order to move toward long-term procurement from sustainable, MSC-certified tuna sources.
“Sysco is eager to begin this phase of sustainable work with WWF,” said Craig Watson, Sysco’s vice-president–agricultural sustainability. “We believe that this level of supply-chain engagement will help with greater efforts to improve the health of the oceans and fisheries that we share.”
The foodservice provider also has committed to work closely with WWF on mahi-mahi and spiny lobster fishery improvement projects in South and Central America. These improvements, such as adoption of a National Plan of Action for an Ecuadorian mahi-mahi fishery, will support sustainable management of the fishery.
Bill Fox, vice-president and managing director of WWF’s Fisheries Program, said, “Commitments like this are essential if we hope to conserve healthy oceans. We are pleased by Sysco’s visionary approach to improve its impact on the environment and the sustainability of some of their most popular seafood products. This approach is good for the long-term success of Sysco’s business and for our collective futures on the planet.”
Visit www.sysco.com or www.worldwildlife.org for more information.
