Albertsons Cos. Achieves Responsibly Sourced Milestone for Sushi

As more food retailers rely on sustainable supply chains to highlight products that shoppers can feel good about, Albertsons Cos. is touting that it has met its goal of responsibly sourced sushi 18 months ahead of schedule. One hundred percent of its stores’ prepared sushi is now aligned with the company’s Responsible Seafood Policy.

Originally adopted in 2018, the “Top 5 by 2022” Sushi Commitment entailed Albertsons Cos. transitioning salmon, tuna, shrimp and imitation crab to sources that meet the Responsible Seafood Policy within five years. As part of the Sushi Commitment, the company also pledged to discontinue eel until sustainable sources become available, which was achieved in 2019. Now all salmon, tuna, shrimp and imitation crab used in sushi meet one of the following criteria from Albertsons’ Responsible Seafood Policy:

• Rated Green (best choice) or Yellow (good alternative) by the California-based Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program; or
• Certified to an equivalent environmental standard; or
• Sourced from fisheries or farms making measurable and time-bound improvements.

“We owe it to our customers to make sure each and every product is of the highest quality, and at Albertsons Cos., that includes offering seafood from environmentally responsible sources,” said Jewel Hunt, group VP of bakery and deli food service at Albertsons Cos. “We are thrilled to be achieving our Sushi Commitment early, and look forward to sharing more on our progress across the rest of our seafood portfolio in the coming months.”

The responsibly sourced sushi can be purchased at any of the Albertsons Cos. family of stores where sushi is sold, including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, Acme Markets, Randalls, Pavilions, Haggen and Carrs. 

The company’s Responsible Seafood Program incorporates additional criteria that are critical to the seafood industry, such as traceability and social responsibility. In collaboration with its sushi vendors and Santa Cruz, Calif.-based FishWise, Albertsons Cos. is undertaking a traceability project to verify that tuna fishing boats in the company’s sushi supply chains follow international fishing laws and industry best practices as outlined in Albertsons Cos.’ At-Sea Transshipment of Tuna Position Statement.

In other sustainable news, Albertsons Cos. recently rolled out its Kalyana sustainable wines as part of its Own Brands Products. The wines are made from grapes grown in select vineyards certified sustainable by the San Francisco-based Certified California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance, which identifies and promotes eco-friendly wine-growing practices in the Golden State. 

Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons operates 2,277 retail stores with 1,725 pharmacies, 400 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 20 manufacturing facilities. The company’s stores predominantly operate under the Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Supermarkets, Kings Food Markets and Haggen banners. Albertsons is No. 8 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.