This World Oceans Day, Ahold Delhaize USA is celebrating its companies’ sustainable seafood progress, which now includes sustainably sourced seafood across each of the U.S. retail stores full assortments of seafood products.

In 2018, Ahold Delhaize USA began a comprehensive initiative in partnership with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) to support sustainable seafood efforts at its U.S. brands by working to vet and audit all seafood products on a continuous basis – whether private brand or national brand – to ensure they meet Ahold Delhaize USA companies’ rigorous sustainable seafood policy. In total, more than 3,000 products have been assessed. This work is part of Ahold Delhaize USA’s broader transparency commitment.

“Our commitments to enable greater transparency are grounded in our belief that consumers deserve to know where their food comes from and that it contains ingredients they trust,” said Brittni Furrow, VP, Health & Sustainability, Ahold Delhaize USA. “What’s most meaningful about the sustainable seafood work is that it’s a tangible example of our companies’ commitments to their customers and dedication to putting into practice the sustainability outcomes we have committed to.”

For each product, information is required from suppliers, including how and where fish were caught or farmed and whether the fish is sourced from a fishery or farm that is certified to a Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative-benchmarked standard, engaged in a Fishery Improvement Project or assessed as low risk by GMRI.

“Ahold Delhaize USA has demonstrated great leadership with their approach to seafood sustainability,” said Kyle Foley, Senior Program Manager at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. “Their sustainable seafood policy is comprehensive in its scope, including all fresh, frozen, and canned seafood, and they implement strict traceability requirements of suppliers to ensure they know where their seafood is coming from. Further, they are constantly looking for opportunities to keep improving.”

Ranked #1 on the Food and Staples Retailing Sector U.S. index of the 2021 Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, Ahold Delhaize USA continues to work with GMRI to validate all new seafood products and collaborates to enhance both environmental and social sustainability in seafood.