Tiny Crustacean Makes a Big Impact Just in Time For National Seafood Month

America loves shrimp. We eat them grilled, fried, on our tacos, rolled in sushi, and served with grits. Shrimp has been America’s favorite seafood choice for years, and it’s important that our seafood comes from fisheries with high standards for the environment and social welfare. That is why FishWise and Albertsons Companies are celebrating National Seafood Month by casting a spotlight on fisheries that are working to improve traceability and sustainability practices here in the United States.

Every year, our team undertakes traceability projects with our retailer partners to verify and where necessary improve seafood suppliers’ transparency and traceability practices and policies. This year, Albertsons Companies focused on their waterfront BISTRO® Wild Gulf Shrimp, a domestic, wild-caught product from Paul Piazza and Son Inc., a family-owned and operated business based in Louisiana. Our teams did a comprehensive review of all available supply chain documentation (digital and otherwise) to fully trace this wild-caught shrimp from the ocean floor to your local Albertsons Companies store. This assessment enabled us to verify claims that this product is sourced from a high-performing Fishery Improvement Project (FIP), is legally harvested, and undergoes robust traceability and data collection practices.

This shrimp comes from FIPs where fishers are working to improve the sustainability and traceability of wild shrimp fisheries in the Gulf. These FIPs are considered comprehensive FIPs, meaning the fisheries intend to achieve a level of sustainability compared to the Marine Stewardship Council certification. Currently, these FIPs have an Advanced Progress rating reflecting that it is making improvements on the water with robust observer coverage and efforts to reduce bycatch (the unintended catch of other species, such as sea turtles).

All of Albertsons Companies’ waterfront BISTRO and Open Nature® seafood meets their Responsible Seafood Policy, and as part of their rigorous Responsible Seafood Program we work together to conduct traceability projects so that Albertsons Companies can provide tailored recommendations to suppliers. These recommendations outline the strengths and challenges found in suppliers’ operations and provide actionable steps they can take to help mitigate potential traceability risks.

Seafood supply chains are complex and can lack traceability. Although some of our most beloved, not to mention tasty, seafood can travel long distances before it reaches our plates, FishWise and Albertsons Companies are working together to strengthen traceability within supply chains and pave a path forward to collaborate across responsible seafood issues. The current pandemic has turned global food production upside down and it continues to change how we look at supply chains. Now, more than ever, the seafood community is focusing on adapting and building a more resilient seafood supply that also supports our local fishers and farmers.

Many seafood lovers enjoy stories about the origin of our food, and we seek to understand the tale of how our seafood has traveled from ocean to plate. Knowing this product is linked to companies working to have a positive impact on both ocean ecosystems and fishers’ lives and livelihoods is something that we as consumers can feel good about. In honor of National Seafood Month, Albertsons Companies and FishWise invite you to eat the kind of change we need to see in the world and to post a photo of your dish using #BeFishWise to celebrate responsible seafood choices during National Seafood Month and throughout the year! Look for Albertsons Companies’ waterfront BISTRO Wild Gulf Shrimp exclusively at Albertsons Companies stores, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, United, ACME Markets, Shaw’s, Star Market, and others. Customers can look for Albertsons Companies’ Responsible Choice logo on their waterfront BISTRO and Open Nature seafood products to know that it was caught or farmed in ways that safeguard future supplies and help keep ecosystems thriving.

Read the full Albertsons Companies and FishWise press release.