Whole Foods Market launches new responsible sourcing program

Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market has launched its Sourced for Good program, an exclusive third-party certification program to support responsible sourcing of foods, including seafood.

The certification program includes making tangible improvements in farmworkers’ lives, strengthening worker communities where products are sourced, and promoting environmental stewardship where crops are grown, the retailer said in a press release.

The Sourced for Good seal can be found on more than 100 products around Whole Foods Market stores.

So far, the only seafood product featuring the seal is Del Pacifico wild-caught shrimp from Mexico. However, Whole Foods plans to add additional seafood items in the future, a spokesperson told SeafoodSource.

Other products include asparagus and zucchini, along with domestically-sourced items such as tulips from Bloomia in Virginia and Sun Valley Floral Farms in California.

“At Whole Foods Market, our Sourced for Good products not only are good, they do good,” Senior Vice President of Merchandising for Perishables Karen Christensen said in a press release. “Our commitment to equitable trade has funded numerous community projects - from dental clinics to housing facilities to student scholarships to bird sanctuaries. By purchasing select products, customers help us in our goal to make a difference, and now with Sourced for Good, we’re offering shoppers an easier way to find these special products in our stores.”

A majority - 75 percent - of Americans say that, when grocery shopping, it’s important that products are responsibly sourced, according to a Harris Poll conducted on behalf of Whole Foods Market. However, 65 percent of shoppers are confused about how to determine whether a product is responsibly sourced, according to the survey.

The expanded Sourced for Good program replaces the retailer’s Whole Trade Guarantee, which utilizes trusted third-party certifiers “to bring about measurable, positive impact and generate millions of dollars annually to support farmworkers, their communities and environmental stewardship in the production of agricultural products,” the retailer said.

Whole Foods Market’s Sourced for Good program includes products certified by organizations such as Fair Trade USA, Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade America, Fair Food Program, and Equitable Food Initiative.

Photo courtesy of Whole Foods Market