JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Southeastern Grocers, LLC, parent company of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie stores, announced their commitment to providing customers with high-quality seafood that is delicious, fresh and sourced responsibly. The company pledges to have all farm-raised seafood, fresh and frozen, to be 4-star BAP Certified by 2018, providing customers superior seafood product.
Southeastern Grocers partners with the world’s leading seafood sustainability organizations to ensure the seafood provided is high-quality and responsibly obtained/raised. Southeastern Grocers selects suppliers that utilize best practices in animal welfare, abiding by labor regulations and safety laws for both farm-raised and wild-caught seafood.
Collectively, with credible suppliers, Southeastern Grocers works with the following reputable organizations:
• The Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) to ensure our farm-raised seafood suppliers are adhering to the Best Aquaculture Practice (BAP)
• The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) serves as our main sustainable seafood collaborator
• The Marine Stewardship Council/National Marine Fishing Service to certify and manage sustainable practices
• World Wildlife Fund to determine sustainable fisheries
Farm-Raised Seafood
The Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) program has developed a 1 to 4-star rating to provide a well-rounded assessment to determine the quality and sustainability of the fish and its environment. To achieve a 4-star rating, the aquafarm must promote quality habitat, social well-being, protected hatcheries and balanced nutrition. Southeastern Grocers currently partners with 8 BAP 4-star suppliers, but are proud to report that by 2018, all farm-raised seafood sold in Winn-Dixie, BI-LO and Harvey stores will be BAP 4-star certified, providing our customers superior product.
Wild-Caught Seafood
We work with reputable suppliers that source seafood from sustainable environments to ensure of our wild seafood is caught responsibly. At Southeastern Grocers, we fully disclose the country of origin, method of catch, and source location of our wild caught seafood.
Scott Morris, Executive Vice President of Merchandising for Southeastern Grocers said, “At Southeastern Grocers, we know how important it is to have fish for now and fish for the future. To ensure this, we must focus on sustainable ways of providing customers with quality product with minimal environmental impact.”
Dolphin-Safe Tuna
We are proud to be the first and only American retail member, to date, of the International Pole and Line Foundation, an organization that is committed to using only one-by-one catching methods, the most sustainable means to harvest tuna. Southeastern Grocers works closely with our supply partners to ensure that our own brand tuna will be responsibly sourced and dolphin-safe by 2017.
About Southeastern Grocers
Southeastern Grocers, LLC, parent company and home of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, is the second-largest supermarket in the Southeast based on store count. The company employs nearly 60,000 associates who serve customers in approximately 750 grocery stores, 140 liquor stores and 500 in-store pharmacies throughout the seven southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie are well-known and well-respected regional brands with deep heritages, strong neighborhood ties, proud histories of giving back, talented and loyal associates, and strong commitments to providing the best possible quality and value to customers. For more information, visit www.bi-lo.com, www.harveyssupermarkets.com and www.winndixie.com.
Source: Southeastern Grocers
