Supply chain News and trends

A collaboration between aquaculture technology specialists Ace Aquatec and start-up Tiny Fish aims to advance the Scottish salmon industry’s circular economy by helping the sector gain access to new premium food markets for its smallest fish.

Scottish salmon farms have an approximate monthly survival rate of 97 to 99 percent throughout their lifecycle, with the fish lost each month commonly being composted. However, through their new collaboration, Ace Aquatec and Tiny Fish hope to alter this fate, culling smaller fish and marketing them as a premium food product.

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) has announced a new partnership with the Thai Union Group, one of the world’s leading seafood producers.

“Our partnership with Thai Union continues SFP’s tradition of innovation and creating fisheries improvement at scale and globally by working with major seafood buyers to leverage change in their sourcing and supply chains,” SFP Founder and CEO Jim Cannon said in a press release. “Lasting conservation and environmental improvement can only be achieved with industry leadership by companies like Thai Union, who can advance widespread adoption of best sustainability practices.”

Hy-Vee is reinforcing its commitment to environmentally and socially responsible seafood by announcing the adoption of its new Seafood Supplier Code of Conduct.

The company said that it aims to partner with seafood suppliers that share its commitment to quality products, environmental responsibility and fair labor practices. The labor expectations set out in the SCoC are aligned with international norms, standards and best practices, including the United Nations Global Compact, International Labor Organization. International Labor Standards, and Verité Responsible Sourcing Tool Sample Code of Conduct Provisions for Seafood Supply Chains.

Nestlé Purina utilises a variety of fish and seafood items, sourced from around the world and is the first GSSI partner from the petfood industry to join the global partnership network.

A high proportion of the seafood ingredients in Purina’s products are seafood sidestreams - those parts of the fish remaining after fillet removal. Despite this, the company believes that it can further expand its use of responsibly managed and sourced seafood and has set a goal for the ingredients in its products to be 100 percent responsibly sourced by 2030.

During his three decades as CEO of Thai Union, Thiraphong Chansiri has led the global seafood company through a notable turnaround. After weathering international criticism of Thailand’s fishing industry because of environmental and labor abuses, the company has doubled down on sustainability. Today, Thai Union is a member of the United Nations Global Compact and a founding member of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation. Chansiri has also focused on expansion and diversification: founded in 1977 as a canned tuna processor and exporter, Thai Union purchased a minority stake in the popular global restaurant chain Red Lobster in 2016.

An expanding base of environmentally conscious consumers is changing the face of seafood merchandising.

With sustainability top of mind for many shoppers, it is becoming increasingly important for retailers to spotlight their suppliers’ eco practices if they are to sustain or grow category activity, analysts note.