At Delhaize Group we place sustainability at the core of our activities to safeguard our business for the benefit of future generations and today we bring you a perfect example of this.
From the end of 2012 onwards our banner Delhaize Belgium will only offer sustainably caught fish.
Thanks to a close collaboration with WWF and Belgian fishermen, Delhaize Belgium guarantees that its customers will be consuming seafood in a responsible way. Certification systems such as Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an independent ecolable, guarantee that fish is sustainably caught.
“Delhaize is aware of the threat to marine biodiversity and takes the necessary measures at all levels to adopt a responsible attitude. Our ambition is to source our entire fish assortment responsibly – fresh or frozen, canned or prepared – and to make sure that our fish is caught in a durable way”, says Dirk Van den Berghe, CEO Delhaize Belgium. “Each member of the food chain has to take its responsibility to consume seafood in a responsible way. This is the only way we can ensure there will still be fish available for our children and grandchildren. Together with our customers and suppliers we can make several endangered fish species survive, protect the environment and safeguard fishermen’s future” Dirk Van den Berghe adds.
Indeed 75% of the commercial fish species are overfished. According to WWF, “when a big retailer decides to become 100% sustainable in fresh fish, this is an important signal for Europe and fishery that the market is ready for a revolution. A recent WWF report shows that European fishery can be healthy and profitable again in ten years if it stops depleting the fish stocks now and starts working on a thorough reformation of the fishery policy” says Geert Lejeune, Conservation Director at WWF Belgium.
Frozen fish also evolves towards sustainable offer
This work is not limited to the fresh assortment, Delhaize Belgium has the same sustainable ambition for the frozen fish selection.
Right now, 80% of the frozen fish assortment is already sustainable and in 2013, it will evolve to become 100% sustainable.
Sustainable fish: a win-win for consumers, fishermen and the environment.
Belgian fishermen are very supportive of this approach. By sourcing fish from them, Delhaize Belgium stimulates the local economy, there is less pollution and energy is saved.
Delhaize Belgium bans threatened fish species from its assortment
Delhaize Belgium has had an eye on the threats for several fish species for a long time and gives this matter particular attention. Since 2007, only sustainably caught cod and haddock are sold in the stores. In 2009, red tuna (threatened with extinction), river eel and swordfish were removed from the assortment. In addition to this, Delhaize has stopped selling in its fresh fish department orange roughy, common ling, shark, wild salmon (unless with MSC certificate) and rattails a long time ago. All kinds of tuna (except yellowfin) have also been removed form the assortment.
Delhaize Belgium helps its customers in making a responsible choice with its consumer guide
Thanks to its consumer guide in French and Dutch, Delhaize Belgium has made great efforts to empower its customers to make the right choices to consume seafood in a responsible way. The guide lists the most current fish and crustaceans and clearly explains how they can be chosen in a responsible way.
Other banners at Delhaize Group have also initiatives in place to promote sustainable fish. Check out our blog on the work done at Hannaford Supermarkets.