Bumble Bee Foods has reached a supply agreement with Pacifical, the marketing arm established by the eight countries who have signed up to the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) in the Western Central Pacific Ocean, to source Marine Stewardship Council-certified tuna.
Pacifical was set up in 2011 to promote and actively trade sustainable caught skipjack and yellowfin tuna. It represents the PNA signatory countries: Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.
Bumble Bee president and CEO Chris Lischewski stressed that the “long-term sustainability” of the world’s oceans is critical to the “long-term viability of our business”. Lischewski continued: “About 25% of the global catch of tuna comes from this region and we’re proud to partner with Pacifical to raise additional awareness of their commitment to social accountability, food safety and traceability.”
“We bear the responsibility of ensuring the sustainability of our tuna stocks for the future of our people and our children and as an important food source for the world’s population,” said Maurice Brownjohn, PNA commercial director. “We look forward to working with Bumble Bee as well as restaurants and retailers around the world to increase the supply of MSC labelled sustainable tuna.”
According to Brownjohn, the MSC independent certification holds suppliers to the “highest levels of sustainability possible when it comes to fishing in our waters.”
As part of the business agreement, Pacifical will provide Bumble Bee with 100% traceability to all MSC certified products. This will include tracing product to vessel name, captain name, fishing method and catching period.
“We know people want to purchase sustainable products and we also know they want to know where their food is coming from,” said Lischewski. “This partnership further demonstrates our commitment to sustainability, transparency and delivering high-quality, safe and nutritious seafood to consumers.”
