Hy-Vee nets prestigious national recognition for environmentally responsible seafood efforts

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, May 23, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the world of seafood sustainability, Hy-Vee has quickly become a big fish in a big pond. In the Carting Away the Oceans: 2014 Rankings of Seafood Sustainability in U.S. Supermarkets report released last week by Greenpeace USA, Hy-Vee's seafood sustainability efforts are ranked fifth among the country's top 26 retailers. The report evaluates major U.S. retailers for the sustainability of their seafood in four key areas: policy, initiatives, labeling and transparency, and Red List inventory.

According to the report, "Hy-Vee's remarkable entrance can be credited to the seafood team's internal drive and proactive approach to seafood sustainability, coupled with corporate-level endorsement and confidence in its category staff."

"We were surprised at how well Hy-Vee performed, by essentially rocketing to fifth place, which is a particularly impressive showing for a new entrant to the evaluations," said James Mitchell, Greenpeace senior seafood campaigner.

Hy-Vee has made it a priority to focus on and improve how it provides a diverse selection of seafood to its customers. As a result of that process, the company has updated its Seafood Procurement Policy for both wild caught and farmed seafood and rolled out a Responsible Choice program to educate consumers. Hy-Vee's Responsible Choice program and its comprehensive Procurement Policy were developed in partnership with FishWise – a non-profit organization focused on supporting sustainability through environmentally responsible business practices.

Through these new efforts, Hy-Vee has committed to sell responsibly sourced fresh and frozen seafood that is either rated Green or Yellow by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, certified to an environmental standard equivalent to these ratings, or is sourced from credible, time-bound improvement processes by the end of 2015. In addition, Hy-Vee has been a strong supporter of both the Ross Sea Pledge and the Bering Sea Canyons initiative, and has committed to not selling genetically engineered seafood.

"We're extremely pleased and honored with this recognition. It represents both a commitment from our stores as well as from Hy-Vee customers who have demonstrated that they want seafood that is responsibly harvested and minimizes damage to the environment," said Hy-Vee's Nate Stewart, Vice President of Perishables. "Through our new efforts, we are providing our customers high quality seafood in accordance with the most stringent environmental standards in the food industry. We look forward to continually improving our offerings in the future."

For more information on Hy-Vee's seafood sustainability efforts, please visit http://www.hy-vee.com/company/sustainability/responsible-choice-seafood.aspx. To access the full report, please visit www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/oceans/seafood.

ABOUT HY-VEE, INC

With 237 retail stores across eight Midwestern states and sales of more than $8 billion, Hy-Vee ranks among the top 25 supermarket chains and the top 50 private companies in the United States. Supermarket News, the authoritative voice of the food industry, has honored the company with a Whole Health Enterprise Award for its leadership in providing services and programs that promote a healthy lifestyle. For more information, visit www.hy-vee.com.

Contact: Jake Brus; Office 515-226-0818; [email protected]

SOURCE Hy-Vee, Inc.

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