Giant Food Increases Transparency of Its Seafood

In support of transparency, Landover, Md.-based Giant Food has joined the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP), a global platform where retailers voluntarily share insight into their sourcing methods to ensure sustainable seafood practices.

Giant, which operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia, already ensures that the seafood sold in its stores meets sustainability criteria, but with ODP, the original sources of all its own brand, wild-caught seafood will be available to the public.

"We want shoppers to be able to trust that when they purchase any seafood product from Giant, that it is coming from a verified source," said Ira Kress, president of Giant Food. "Participating in the ODP represents our assurance to total transparency and being able to offer products that are in line with our commitment to sustainable sourcing throughout every department of the store."

Giant is also a partner of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), which ensures that all seafood that enters stores is vetted against the specific criteria in Giant's sustainable seafood policy.

"Knowing where your seafood comes from is a critical element of any effort to buy sustainable seafood,” said Kyle Foley, sustainable seafood senior program manager for GMRI. "By joining the ODP, Giant Food is pulling back the curtain and being transparent about the original sources of the seafood sold in stores."