BRAMPTON, ON, March 11, 2014 /CNW/ - (TSX: L) Loblaw Companies Limited
is proud to be the first grocery retailer in North America to offer
Atlantic salmon certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC),
available soon at select Loblaws® and Zehrs® stores in Ontario and
Quebec. Customers can be assured that ASC-certified seafood comes from
fish farms that are responsibly managed and limit their adverse impact
on the environment.
The ASC is an independent, not-for-profit organization that aims to be
the leading global certification and labeling program for responsibly
farmed seafood. It manages the worldwide standards for responsibly
farmed seafood and is committed to preserving marine and fresh-water
habitats while endorsing social standards.
After introducing the first ASC-certified product in North America in
early 2013 with PC® Blue Menu Tilapia, Loblaw has played a leadership
role in bringing responsibly farmed certified seafood products to the
wider marketplace.
"Loblaw is the largest seller of seafood in Canada and we are proud to
be introducing the first ASC-certified Atlantic salmon in stores, one
of many ASC-certified products we are looking to introduce," said
Melanie Agopian, senior director, Sustainability, Loblaw Companies
Limited. "We remain committed to improving our seafood sourcing
practices and will continue to work diligently with our industry
partners to drive towards responsible harvesting practices of both wild
and farmed seafood."
"I'd like to thank Loblaw for their support and commitment to source
ASC-certified seafood," said Chris Ninnes, CEO, ASC. "By offering
consumers ASC-certified salmon, Loblaw gives them the opportunity to
recognise and reward more responsible farming as well as contribute to
transforming aquaculture towards sustainability. This milestone is a
great development for Loblaw, ASC and especially North American
consumers."
"This is excellent news for Canadian seafood lovers, and a major
milestone in Loblaw's ongoing commitment to source 100 per cent
sustainable seafood," said David Miller, WWF Canada's President and
CEO. "With ASC-certified Atlantic salmon now available, Canadians have
the option to choose salmon products that have a lower impact on the
environment."
In 2009, Loblaw became the first major food retailer in Canada to commit
to sourcing 100 per cent of the seafood in its stores from sustainable
sources by the end of 2013. Loblaw is proud to have converted 88 per
cent of sales in key seafood categories to products that fall in one of
the following categories: certified sustainable, acceptable with
conditions, making meaningful progress towards sustainability. Learn
more about Loblaw's ongoing commitment in their annual seafood progress
report here: www.loblaw.ca/seafood.
The ASC-certified fresh Atlantic salmon will be available soon at select
Loblaws® and Zehrs® locations in Ontario and Quebec.
About Loblaw Companies Limited
Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is
Canada's largest food retailer and a leading provider of drugstore,
general merchandise and financial products and services. Loblaw is one
of the largest private sector employers in Canada. With more than 1,000
corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its
franchisees employ more than 138,000 full-time and part-time employees.
Through its portfolio of store formats, Loblaw is committed to
providing Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of
products and services to meet the everyday household demands of
Canadian consumers. Loblaw is known for the quality, innovation and
value of its food offering. It offers Canada's strongest control
(private) label program, including the unique President's Choice®, no
name® and Joe Fresh® brands. In addition, the Company makes available
to consumers President's Choice Financial® services and offers the PC®
points and PC Plus™ loyalty program.
SOURCE Loblaw Companies Limited
PDF available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2014/03/11/20140311_C4336_DOC_EN_37756.pdf
