Southeastern Grocers makes strides in sustainable seafood

Southeastern Grocers LLC, the parent company of BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, announced in April that it had become the first North American retail member of the International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF).

A nonprofit association, the IPNLF is committed to supporting small-scale fisheries that pursue high-quality, responsible and ethically caught tuna using one-by-one methods.

To commemorate the announcement, Southeastern Grocers rolled out a private label called Fisherman’s Wharf. The label features a pole-and-line, canned albacore tuna product displaying the IPNFL “Supporting Member” logo.

“At Southeastern Grocers, we know how important it is to support sustainable fisheries and we are very pleased to be the first North American retail member of the International Pole & Line Foundation,” Ian McLeod, president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers, said in a statement.

Adam Baske, director of policy & outreach at IPNLF, shared McLeod’s sentiments: “It is fantastic to have our first retail member in the US market on board with our mission to see coastal tuna fishing communities thrive alongside healthy ocean ecosystems,” he said while commenting on the 42nd member of the organization.

“We look forward to working with Southeastern Grocers to further demonstrate the value of sourcing from one-by-one tuna fisheries, and encourage other retailers in North America to join this collaborative effort.”

The product is now on sale at select BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys and Winn-Dixie stores for $2.49 a can.

Southeastern Grocers is the fifth largest conventional supermarket in the U.S. and is headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla. The company operates across 730 locations including grocery stores, liquor stores and in-store pharmacies.

Contact Dan Orlando at [email protected]
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