Woolies and WFF in SASSI joint venture

“Along with protecting the environment, fostering and preserving biodiversity is a core directive of our Good business journey,” explains the retailer's Head of Foods, Julian Novak. “There are very real global environmental concerns about seafood, especially in regard to over-fishing and the environmental impact of fisheries - in particular high by-catch of non-target species and damage or destruction of habitats... and we have an ethical responsibility to preserve our natural resources. In addition, as a major role player in the South African seafood industry, we believe we can drive positive change by supporting sustainable seafood.”

The process is facilitated by WWF, the conservation organisation, who will assist the retailer in setting up and meeting the objectives of the policy, which marks a significant milestone on retailer's Good business journey. The company is currently working closely with its dedicated suppliers and WWF in implementing its Sustainable Seafood policy and will also help consumers understand the sustainability status of species in terms of the green-orange-red listings promulgated by SASSI so that they can make informed choices.

Says Jaco Barendse, Technical Advisor of SASSI, “...For a leading retailer to make such a firm commitment to move its seafood range towards sustainability bodes well for the future world's seafood stocks. The retailer's participation in the Charter will make an important contribution to our goals of shifting consumer demand away from over-exploited species to more sustainable options and creating awareness of vital marine conservation issues”.