BOSTON – One of the largest and oldest privately-held seafood companies in the country today released what is believed to be one of the broadest and most comprehensive sustainable seafood programs in the industry.
“Slade Gorton & Company’s Sustainability Program will have a positive and far-reaching impact on the long-term sustainability of our oceans’ resources,” said CEO Kim Gorton. “We believe that sustainability is as much about feeding a growing global population as it is about conservation of resources.”
The Company sources more than 80 species of seafood from nearly 50 countries and hundreds of fisheries around the world.
Among the key elements of the Company’s Sustainability Program:
- Managing efficient systems and practices to track seafood back to the harvest location or farm to ensure it is sourced from fisheries or farms that are well-managed, certified sustainable or actively working towards implementing more responsible and sustainable harvesting and farming practices.
- Utilizing its purchasing influence to encourage less sustainable fisheries and farms to implement credible and documented fishery and aquaculture improvement projects.
- Working with Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) (www.sustainablefish.org) and other partners such as the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) – (www.gmri.org), to directly sponsor fishery improvement projects, as well as work with select customers on the development of their own seafood sustainability programs.
- Sourcing only from suppliers that share the Company’s commitment to sustainability and traceability, and working collaboratively with them to move along the continuum.
- Providing visibility into best practices to help address the economic, social and cultural impacts of developing more sustainable practices.
- Preferentially sourcing responsibly harvested and farmed seafood that proactively addresses local, regional and global concerns regarding environmental impact, the preservation of healthy ecosystems, and ethical social practices.
- Maintaining rigorous protocol to ensure illegal, unreported and unregulated seafood products do not enter the Company’s supply chain.
- Continuing to proactively work with its customers to support the development and management of their own seafood sustainability programs.
“Sustainability is a personal issue for us,” said Gorton, the third generation of her family to serve as the Company’s CEO. “We have relied on the sustained resources of the world’s oceans for over 150 years to provide wholesome and nutritious seafood, enabling us to fulfill our mission of ensuring an enjoyable dining experience every time.”
Slade Gorton is one of the country’s largest importers, distributors and manufacturers of fresh, frozen and premium value-added seafood products serving the wholesale, food service and retail channels. The Company has
To view the sustainability policy document please go to:
http://www.sladegorton.com/wp-content/uploads/Sustainability-Policy-1.pdf
Source: Slade Gorton & Co.
