Update

WASHINGTON, DC, October 29, 2009 – World Wildlife Fund (WWF) today announced a new collaboration with The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), one of the nation’s largest grocery retailers, to help develop a strategy for responsibly-sourced wild seafood.

Under the agreement, WWF will assist Kroger in assessing current sourcing of the company’s top 20 wild-caught seafood species in order to develop a sustainable seafood sourcing strategy.  WWF will help Kroger lead the discussion with the company’s source fisheries to improve practices across the supply chain and encourage these fisheries to pursue higher sustainability standards in the trade and harvesting of seafood.  This process includes evaluating Marine Stewardship Council certification for wild species.

“As one of the largest traditional food retailers in the U.S., Kroger can play an important role in transforming the way seafood is harvested,” said Bill Fox, Vice President and Managing Director of WWF's fisheries program.  "It is through collaborations like this that we can achieve important conservation goals to protect our oceans and ensure that retailers like Kroger can rely on a continued supply of seafood products into the future.”

“Kroger is enthusiastic about this project and what it can mean for our customers,” said Mark Van Buskirk, Vice-President for Meat and Seafood for The Kroger Co.  “Our goal is that our customers and their children can enjoy fresh, sustainable seafood for generations to come.”  

Kroger will also work with WWF to support and be engaged in the Aquaculture Dialogues, an ongoing series of roundtables working to minimize the key environmental and social aspects associated with aquaculture. 

Through its Sustainable Seafood Initiative for wild-catch fisheries, support for the Marine Stewardship Council, and organization of the Aquaculture Dialogues, WWF is actively engaged in the Common Vision partnership of North American non-governmental organizations for sustainable seafood.

For more information on WWF’s sustainable seafood work, visit: http://worldwildlife.org/waveforward/SustainableSeafood.html