Albertsons Companies to Sell Fair Trade Certified Scallops

Albertsons Companies has expanded its Fair Trade Certified seafood program and its commitment to responsible sourcing by carrying Fair Trade Certified scallops.

The Fair Trade Certified program addresses the social and environmental needs of fishing communities across the globe by protecting fundamental human rights of workers, preventing forced and child labor, establishing safe working conditions, regulating work hours and benefits, and enabling responsible, sustainable resource management.

"Albertsons Companies takes our commitment to socially and environmentally responsible seafood seriously," said Buster Houston, Group Director of Seafood at Albertsons Companies. "By providing Fair Trade Certified seafood, we are able to support the domestic industry, provide our customers with the highest quality product, and support the health of ocean ecosystems and communities that depend upon them."

The new product, Santa Monica Seafood Signature Sea Scallops, is sourced from the Port of New Bedford, Massachusetts, an iconic fishing village with a rich history of American seafood production. These large scallops are not only responsibly sourced, but are also recognized worldwide as having unparalleled texture and flavor. Santa Monica Seafood Signature Sea Scallops are available at Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions stores in Southern California and will be available at Safeway stores in Northern California this summer.

Like all Fair Trade Certified products, producers of Santa Monica Seafood's scallops receive a Community Development Premium—10 percent of the dockside price—which they can collectively invest in much-needed community projects. According to David Ferreira, the Secretary of The Northwest Atlantic Sea Scallop Fisheries (NWASSF), "The premium received by NWASSF will augment the scallop fisheries advocacy group Fisherman Survival Fund and promote industry research partners UMass Dartmouth's School for Marine Science & Technology and Coonamessett Farm."

This new product continues Albertsons Companies' tradition of leadership in sourcing socially and environmentally responsible seafood. In 2015, Albertsons Companies began selling Fair Trade Certified seafood, with the introduction of Fair Trade yellowfin tuna from Indonesia. In addition to meeting rigorous social standards, the Fair Trade Certified seafood products in Albertsons Companies stores also meet the high environmental bar set by its Responsible Seafood Policy in partnership with FishWise. Albertsons Companies pioneered the Responsible Choice program whereby seafood products marked "Responsible Choice" are favorably rated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, or are sourced from fisheries or farms making measurable and time-bound improvements.