Albertsons Companies Commits to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Joins Seafood Task Force

Albertsons Companies has pledged its support for the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, known as the "Oceans Goal," which sets international targets to "conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development."

Albertsons Companies also announced that it has joined the Seafood Task Force, an influential, international multi-stakeholder alliance tackling human rights and environmental issues in seafood supply chains.

The announcements are part of the company's ongoing commitment to being a leader in sustainability and socially responsible seafood sourcing, company officials say. 

"We recognize that the wellbeing of people and the sustainability of our oceans are interdependent," says Buster Houston, director of seafood at Albertsons Companies. "As one of the largest U.S. retailers of seafood, we are committed to protecting the world's oceans so they can remain a bountiful natural resource that contributes to global food security, the livelihoods of hard-working fishermen and the global economy."

The United Nations' SDG 14 Oceans Goal is part of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, a set of time-bound international development objectives aimed at poverty elimination, environmental stability, and global peace. In accordance with its commitment to the SDG 14 Oceans Goal, Albertsons Companies signed on to a group pledge Committing to Social Responsibility in Global Fisheries and Aquaculture. 

A key part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals is combating human rights violations and forced labor in many of the world's core industries, including fishing. To that end, Albertsons Companies recently joined the Seafood Task Force, an influential, seafood industry-led group tackling human rights and environmental issues in seafood supply chains.

The Seafood Task Force was formed to address issues of forced labor, illegal fishing and human trafficking in Thailand's seafood supply chains. Comprised of a diverse group of stakeholders, including retailers, suppliers, NGOs, and major Thai processors and feed companies, the Seafood Task Force is reforming the seafood sector by improving oversight in seafood supply chains. While the focus is currently in Thailand, the systems developed by the Task Force will serve as a model for global supply chains.

"We at FishWise are thrilled that Albertsons Companies has joined the Seafood Task Force," says Retail Division Director Ashley Greenley of FishWise, a seafood sustainability nonprofit that partners with Albertsons Companies. "This is a real opportunity for Albertsons Companies to play a substantive role in enacting positive social and environmental change, not just in Thailand, but in the world's seafood supply chains."

The announcements are part of Albertsons Companies' comprehensive seafood sustainability initiative. In the last year alone, the company established a new Responsible Seafood Policy and set a goal that our 100 percent of the top wild and farmed seafood products sold at our stores will meet the high standards set forth in policy.

The company also expanded on its commitment to selling Fair Trade products, which are responsibly sourced and protect the fundamental human rights of workers who farm or produce the product. Albertsons Companies was the first retailer to carry Fair Trade tuna, and this year, became the first major retailer to carry Fair Trade sea scallops.