Sustainable Seafood Policy
At Food Lovers Holdings (PTY) Ltd, we take our responsibility as a retailer seriously. We recognise the global concern surrounding seafood resource depletion and the environmental impacts of fishing and aquaculture activities on marine ecosystems.
As a significant player in the seafood industry, we are committed to driving positive change in fisheries. We aim to support and promote sustainable seafood choices from legally and responsibly managed sources, creating market-driven incentives to catalyse positive change at sea.
Defining Sustainable Seafood
Food Lovers Holdings (PTY) Ltd defines sustainable seafood as products that are either certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) or categorised as Green on the WWF- Seafood policy list. Sustainable seafood is characterised by:
- seafood which originates from fisheries or farms that can operate indefinitely without harming target species or marine ecosystems,
- the target species not being endangered or threatened,
- seafood being caught in well-managed fisheries by registered commercial fishers,
- utilising responsible fishing or farming methods, and
- ensuring traceability from “boat/farm to plate”.
Food Lover’s Holding’s Commitment to Sustainable Seafood
Since 1 January 2016, all seafood products from Wild Capture Fisheries procured or sold by Food Lover’s Holding’s branded stores have been either:
- certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) (or Equivalent Standard), or
- categorised as Green by WWF-SA’s Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (WWF-SASSI), or
- sourced from fisheries actively engaged in credible, time-bound improvement projects.
Furthermore:
Since 1 January 2017, all seafood products from aquaculture facilities procured or sold by Food Lover’s Holding’s branded have been either:
- certified as sustainable by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) (or Equivalent Standard)
- categorised as Green by WWF-SA’s Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative (WWF-SASSI), or
- sourced from farms actively engaged in credible, time-bound improvement projects.
Empowering Consumers
We believe consumers and clients have the right to make environmentally responsible choices. Therefore, we are committed to adequately labelling all seafood products. Since 31 December 2013, all labels have included:
- the industry accepted common names for species,
- the scientific names for species,
- the country of origin or, if applicable, FAO fishing area (Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN) of species sold or species used in product produced,
- the production method used to obtain species (wild-caught / farmed and, if possible, gear type or production system), and
- any credible eco-labels that may apply (i.e. MSC or ASC).
Food Lover’s Holding’s Principles for Sustainable Seafood
As responsible retailers/suppliers, we adhere to the following principles:
- all seafood should be traceable to its origins, using suitable traceability schemes or mechanisms.
- all seafood on offer should be legal (no Illegal or Unreported or Unregulated [IUU] products).
- sustainable choices should be promoted, and staff should be adequately trained to help consumers make sustainable choices.
- seafood product ranges should be subject to continuous improvement, and any new seafood products should be considered against strict legal, traceability, and sustainability criteria.
- retailers and suppliers should communicate their sustainability commitments to the public and be held accountable to them.
- all existing and new suppliers of seafood products will be required to complete the Food Lovers Holdings (Pty) Ltd Sustainable Seafood Questionnaire and Trading Terms and Conditions.
Therefore, Food Lover’s Holdings (Pty) Ltd will ensure that the guidelines outlined in the Sustainable Seafood Policy are communicated to all current and future suppliers to ensure adherence to the policy.
