Publix is 1st U.S. Retailer to Join Ocean Disclosure Project

In a first-ever move by a U.S.-based retailer, Publix will begin publishing a list of all of the fisheries used to source its wild-caught seafood as part of a new alliance with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership’s (SFP) Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP).

In addition to disclosing data on the names of its source fisheries, Publix will provide information on management, catch method and environmental impact of the various caught-in-the-wild species.

“Publix’s seafood sustainability philosophy is to provide transparency for our customers while engaging with our suppliers to drive change in the seafood industry,” said Maria Brous, director of media and community relations for the Lakeland, Fla.-based retailer. “Sustainability is about continuous improvement. SFP and Publix have shared values and vision for a more sustainable seafood future. Through our collaboration on the Ocean Disclosure Project, we are able to evaluate our current sustainability landscape, prioritize our impact, and support the supply chain from the fishermen to the processors through fishery improvement projects, allowing us to ultimately offer our customers more of the options they are looking for."

In light of its ODP adoption, Publix is taking a major leadership role in seafood sustainability, according to Kathryn Novak, director of buyer engagement for Honolulu-based SFP.

“This is a truly impressive commitment and represents a significant step forward in corporate reporting on sustainable seafood,” said Novak. “Consumers, the public, investors and other stakeholders can now see for themselves where Publix sources seafood, how the fish are caught and how well the resource is managed.”

Publix joins European participants Asda, Biomar, The Co-operative Group, Joseph Robertson, Morrisons and Skretting in adopting the seafood transparency project, more information for which can be found here. 

With 1,146 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina and 2016 sales of $34 billion, Publix is privately owned and operated by its 190,000 employees.