Thai Union's Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods and Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Announce Sri Lankan Blue Swimming Crab Rating Upgrade Through Their SeaChange® IGNITE Collaboration

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Jan. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- SeaChange® IGNITE announced the first product offering from its newly formed collaboration between Chicken of the Sea® and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  The Aquarium's latest Seafood Watch update included a Good Alternative recommendation for Sri Lanka Blue Swimming Crab, which has been in a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) designed to produce the advancements needed to meet or exceed a Good Alternative rating.

"This announcement opens yet another pathway for responsibly sourced seafood through our international supply chain," stated Bryan Rosenberg, President & CEO, Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods. "In the current marketplace, it is simply not enough to be just a conduit for quality products, we must continue to engage at the source and be facilitators of responsible practices and solutions."

In July 2016, Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods (COSFF) joined the Sri Lankan Blue Swimming Crab FIP with supply chain partner, Taprobane Seafood Group. COSFF co-financed the development of a harvest control strategy for blue swimming crab fisheries in Sri Lanka.

"This is a wonderful first step in our partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium that rewards the hard work of the fishermen, scientists, and our supply chain partner in Sri Lanka, ensuring the long-term health of the fishery and dependable employment for those that rely on it. This is our first Chicken of the Sea product resulting from SeaChange® IGNITE which allows food service operators and retail consumers to access and choose responsibly sourced seafood.  Our next steps for these products coming through the SeaChange® IGNITE program will also carry essential traceability information on the packaging linked to a website that allows the product to be tracked back to its exact fishing area and through Taprobane's supply chain," explained Roxanne Nanninga, Sustainability Director, Thai Union North America.

Reaching this coveted recommendation requires cooperation between both private companies and local government. "Engagement with the Sri Lankan government has been critical to advancing fishery improvements in the region," said Jennifer Kemmerly, Director of Global Fisheries and Aquaculture at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. "Their efforts have culminated in a more sustainable fishery and now a new relationship with SeaChange IGNITE. This relationship, and the resulting market connections, can help incentivize fisheries improvements in other regions."

ABOUT SeaChange® IGNITE
SeaChange® IGNITE, is a collaboration between Monterey Bay Aquarium and Chicken of the Sea® to advance new sustainability initiatives and improvements throughout the supply chain and further contribute to Thai Union's SeaChange® sustainability strategy. The combined commitment for the initiative is USD $73 million through 2025, with a focus on improvements in Southeast Asia and other key seafood producing regions.

ABOUT THAI UNION GROUP
Thai Union Group PCL. is the world's seafood leader bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for more than 40 years.

Today, Thai Union is regarded as the world's largest producer of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 135 billion (US$ 4.03 billion) and a global workforce of over 49,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable, innovative seafood products.

The company's global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar, and Rügen Fisch and Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, Bellotta and Marvo.

As a company committed to innovation and globally responsible behavior, Thai Union is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, and a founding member of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). In 2015, Thai Union introduced its SeaChange® sustainability strategy.

Thai Union's on-going work on sustainability issues was recognized by its inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Emerging Markets (DJSI) in 2014. In 2018, Thai Union was rated No. 1 in the Food Products Industry in the DJSI, while also being listed for the fifth straight year. Thai Union is also part of the FTSE4Good Emerging Index and the winner of many awards for its leading work on sustainability.

ABOUT THE MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM
With a mission to inspire conservation of the ocean, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is the most admired aquarium in the United States, a leader in science education and a voice for ocean conservation through comprehensive programs in marine science and public policy. The Aquarium's Seafood Watch program is part of a comprehensive initiative to improve the sustainability of global fisheries and aquaculture, through policy leadership, scientific research, industry partnerships and consumer engagement. Everything we do works in concert to protect the future of our blue planet. More information at montereybayaquarium.org and at seafoodwatch.org

Media Contact

Craig Rexroad
Communications Director, North America, Chicken of the Sea International
O + 1 424 397 8610
M + 1 858 699 9063

SOURCE Thai Union