Dickie’s Seafood receives top rating from BRC; SFP reports on problems in octopus, mahi trade

SeafoodSource is closely following the sustainable seafood movement and is compiling a regular round-up of sector updates pertaining to sustainability initiatives.

- Dickie’s Seafood received an “A” rating from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) for its new seafood processing facility in Richmond, Virginia U.S.A., the company announced on 14 September. 

The BRC is recognized as a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked certification. It covers seven food safety subcategories: senior management commitment, HACCP plan, food safety and quality management system, site standards, product control, process control, and personnel. 

“Earning this A certification from BRC validates our ongoing meticulous commitment to food safety and our legendary commitment to quality,” Dickie’s Seafood CEO Frank Fay said in a release. “This is remarkable given the fact that we are in a brand new facility with all new operational processes. I am incredibly proud of our entire team including quality control, plant operations, and management.” 

Dickie's Seafood offers shrimp, crab, and fish products in value-added formats (pictured) in the U.S. state of Virginia.

- Regal Springs has joined the IDH-led Aquaculture Working Group on Environmental Footprint, an initiative working to investigate the environmental footprint of aquaculture globally. 

“Regal Springs has been at the forefront of sustainability practice since inception over 30 years ago, with sustainability core to our DNA,” Regal Springs Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Laurent Develle said in a release. “The move to [shore] up understanding [of] our carbon footprint and any improvement is an obvious and natural step and we look forward to working with the aquaculture working group. We have already embarked upon the journey and taken on board some of the tools that will enable us to set targets in the future.”

The Zurich, Switzerland-based tilapia producer will help the group develop consistency among methodologies being used to calculate the environmental footprint of tropical aquaculture.

“We are currently piloting the tool developed by IDH and the working group to measure our carbon footprint and other impacts for our production in Honduras and we will have the first results before the end of 2023," Regal Springs Group Sustainability Manager Benjamin Weis said. " We then want to roll out the tool on a group level to better understand our environmental impact. Once we understand where the hotspots are, we can act accordingly and find solutions on how to reduce and mitigate those impacts even further. The aim is to come together throughout the supply chain and make changes for the better, together." 

 - The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) has released two new sector reports finding production and trade of octopus and mahi have significantly increased over the past two decades. 

The reports reveal the dire need for market-focused initiatives to support and address key sustainability challenges common to both species, SFP Global Fisheries Director Enrique Alonso said.

“Understanding the changing production and trade flows in global mahi and octopus fisheries is critical to pinpointing opportunities to leverage improvement efforts. These two sectors deserve special attention because many of the main fisheries are artisanal or small-scale, requiring a focus on improving fisher engagement and their collaboration with science and management authorities,” Alonso said in a release. “The reports show that the two sectors face different challenges and the results should serve as a call to global supply chains to take urgent action to ensure that measurable progress in sustainability performance is achieved.”

Photo courtesy of Dickie's Seafood/Facebook