Sustainable Procurement Strategy

Overview:

Cumbrian Seafoods is a growing and dynamic Seafood supply and processing business. The drive of the company is to develop new markets, present new product opportunities and maintain high quality standards, which requires that we are aware of the challenges associated with “Sustainability” in all its guises.

For us, sustainability is not only about how, where and when our fish is caught, it encompasses the impact it has on the community, the eco-system and all related environmental issues. We have outlined below the three headers and describe how we address each of these in practice:-

Sustainability of fish stocks
Ethical Trading
Energy Neutrality

Sustainability:

We are highly focused on the importance of conservation of marine stocks. We have long recognised the problems facing the industry and consistently championed redress of practices which have led to a much reduced exploitation of wild caught fish.

In recent years sustainability has become very high profile with protests from a number of environmental groups highlighting local and global concerns. Throughout the life of this company and that of its predecessor, Vassallo Seafoods of Newcastle, we have pioneered a sustainable purchasing policy going back more than 25 years.

These are some of the key points from our sustainable purchasing policy:-

We promote eco-friendly line-caught fishing for its selection of mature fish and minimal by-catch.
We promote with our customers an avoidance of the use of species from the 36 most heavily depleted stocks on the MCS register.
We have invested heavily in developing legitimate, sustainable aquaculture projects across widening range of species, to meet continuing growth in consumer demands.
We maintain a careful balance of our catalogue that actively promotes the full use of the entire fish carcass.
We have full traceability back to vessels with evidence that their catch falls within quota.

We recognise the work of the Marine Conservation Society and the Marine Stewardship Council. Our own and a growing number of our supply factories are accredited by the MSC where certification is available. We do, however, remain aware of the concern held by some sections of the industry, that where certain areas have been certified, this may lead to an intolerable strain on the resource.

In addition, we also recognise that wild caught fish is limited to current world catch levels, and as a consequence have invested heavily in developing legitimate, sustainable aquaculture projects across a widening range of species to meet continuing growth in consumer demand. Where standards exist, all of our sources are certified by independent bodies such as the Aquaculture Certification Council of which we are members. Where standards are not in place, we encourage their development through the work of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, of which Cumbrian Seafoods is also a member. Additionally we are members of the Shellfish Association and Seafish, where we are regularly involved in moving the Industries view point forward.

Whether the raw material is drawn from world catch or aquaculture, Cumbrian Seafoods maintains a careful balance of our catalogue towards the full use of the fish.

Our actions are driven by our determination to deliver value to our customers in a manner which ensures the legacy of a safe and bountiful world for future generations.

Ethical Trading:

In keeping with the stance taken by our customers and in recognition of the fact that seafood is a globally sourced commodity, Cumbrian Seafoods has striven to ensure that the working practices of our suppliers whether at boat, farm or processing facility level, meets the basic requirements of the International Labour Organisation which are:

Employment is freely chosen
Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
Working conditions are safe and hygienic
Child labour shall not be used
Living wages are paid
Working hours are not excessive
No discrimination is practiced
Regular employment is provided
No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed

Building upon the pre-requisite requirement that our own factories and suppliers have BRC/ IFS accreditation and through a combination of Cumbrian Seafoods and independent Third Party audits, our supply base is measured against these requirements ensuring that our products are both ethically and sustainably sourced.

Environmental Impact:

Carbon Foot-printing, carbon neutrality and environmental impact are current phrases heard ever more often. Having considered its position and working in close partnership with Seafish, the Carbon Trust and other NGO’s encompassing the five Northern Universities, Cumbrian Seafoods has adopted the target of energy neutrality for its ongoing and future business needs. Through this approach Cumbrian Seafoods will commit towards generating the equivalent amount of power from renewable energy sources, such as wind turbines and solar energy, Sustainable Fishing proportionate to our UK based energy needs.

In partnership with our customer and suppliers we are also working towards ambitious reductions in packaging waste. This reduction comes in the form of volume, weight or through increased recyclability.