Simplot Australia’s seafood division John West Australia has announced today a ‘Sustainable Seafood’ partnership with the world’s largest conservation organisation, World Wildlife Fund (WWF). WWF is said to be creating solutions for serious environmental problems “facing our planet, helping people and nature to thrive”. WWF works with the fishing industry and other businesses, as well as government and local communities to safeguard marine wildlife, natural environments and livelihoods... ...Read more »

Australian companies are buying more certified sustainable palm oil than ever before, according to an assessment of palm oil buyers by multi-national conservation group, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The WWF today released its Palm Oil Buyers’ Scorecard 2011, which measures over 130 major retailers and consumer goods manufacturers by looking at their commitment to, and use of, palm oil certified to the internationally recognised standards of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. Palm oil is... ...Read more »

An overwhelming majority of EU citizens want the fish they buy to come from sources that are sustainable and not overfished, according to an independent poll commissioned by WWF and carried out in 14 EU countries. With 88% of respondents believing it is important that fish products on sale within the European Union come from non-overfished stocks, WWF believes a clear signal is being given to the European Union that ambitious reform of the failing Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is urgently needed.... ...Read more »

South Australian Minister for Fisheries Michael O’Brien said today that South Australia’s reputation as one of the world’s best-managed fisheries put the state in a solid position to benefit from nationwide retail campaigns in support of sustainable seafood. Supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths both announced new sustainable-seafood policies last week, timed to coincide with the Marine Stewardship Council’s Sustainable Seafood Day last Friday. Woolworths will work with the MSC, and... ...Read more »

Coles has announced plans to introduce more certified sustainable seafood options for customers, as well as phasing out sales of several overfished and at-risk species, in an effort to decrease the supermarket’s impact on fish stocks. Coles said it has enlisted the WWF to help it review all Coles fresh seafood and advise where action is needed to ensure fish is sourceed on a sustainable basis. In an agreement signed last week with WWF, Coles has agreed not to stock any seafood without taking... ...Read more »

Kellogg Company announced last week that it is helping fund sustainable palm oil production through purchasing GreenPalm certificates covering 100 percent of its global palm oil use. Today, GreenPalm estimates that only six percent of the current global supply of palm oil is sustainably grown. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) continues to work toward the development of a consistent and sufficient supply of segregated, sustainably grown palm oil, however, it is currently not available... ...Read more »

Results of an independent investigation launched this weekend have revealed a complex international black market in East Atlantic bluefin tuna worth an estimated $4 billion, with many cases of quota violation, widespread underreporting, use of banned spotter planes, catching of undersized fish, and even governmental misreporting coming to light. Reporters from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) have spent eight months investigating the fishery and trade of the highly... ...Read more »

The Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) has become Australia’s first industry association to gain membership to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), the world’s leading not-for-profit organisation supporting sustainable use and production of palm oil.The RSPO was established by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), industry stakeholders and NGOs in 2004. The industry-led association – with more than 400 members worldwide – has established a rigorous set of principles... ...Read more »

UK frozen foods business Birds Eye Iglo is launching a company-wide sustainability plan called ‘Forever Food’. The group has committed to sourcing 100% of wild and farmed fish from certified fisheries by 2012, reduce packaging by 15% by 2012, reducing water consumption used in manufacturing by 20% by 2020, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 30% by 2020 and sending zero waste to landfill from UK operations by 2015. The plan has been developed in collaboration with a range of organisations... ...Read more »

The tuna industry is being urged to regulate bycatch – the capture of undersized specimens and fish other than tuna – to increase fishery sustainability, by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation. The call comes as representatives of Australia’s tuna industry regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) gather in Brisbane for an international workshop on bycatch. The ISSF, a global partnership between scientists, the tuna industry and WWF, is urging RFMOs to... ...Read more »