Lidl joins seafood transparency initiative

The supermarket has published a public profile on the ODP website which includes a list of all of the fisheries supplying wild-caught seafood sourced by Lidl UK, alongside information on fishery management, catch method and environmental impact.

Amali Bunter, Responsible Sourcing Manager at Lidl UK, said: "At Lidl UK we are extremely proud of our commitment to sourcing 100 percent of our own brand chilled and frozen wild caught seafood from MSC-certified fisheries. This is why we are pleased to be joining and supporting the Ocean Disclosure Project, which reinforces our focus on the traceability and transparency of our seafood.

“Over the years, we have been working very hard with our suppliers and the wider seafood sector to help shape a more sustainable fishing industry, and we were one of the first British supermarkets to independently certify our sustainable fish and seafood. More recently, we published our new sustainable seafood policy, which further underlines our commitments to responsible sourcing through our range of targets, including our support for Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs). We now look forward to making further progress with the wider sector in our collective aim to drive transparency and safeguard fish stocks for the future.”

SFP started the Ocean Disclosure Project in 2015 to provide a valuable information resource for responsible investors, seafood consumers and others interested in sustainable seafood. To date, 13 other companies, including retailers, suppliers, and aquaculture feed manufacturers from Europe and North America, have participated.

Other ODP participants include UK retailers Asda, Co-op Food, and Morrisons, along with UK seafood supplier Joseph Robertson and French food service company Davigel. In the US, retailers Publix Supermarkets, Walmart, and Giant Eagle and seafood supplier North Atlantic are participants. Albion Farms & Fisheries is the first Canadian company to participate. Aquaculture feed manufacturers BioMar, Cargill/EWOS, and Skretting have joined the project as well.

“Lidl has experienced significant growth as a UK retailer and now represents an important share of UK seafood offerings; as such it is great to have their participation in the ODP,” said Tania Woodcock, Ocean Disclosure Project Manager at Sustainable Fisheries Partnership. “We hope that this move will encourage other retailers across Europe to join the ODP.”