Delhaize announces new sustainable seafood program

SCARBOROUGH, Maine, SALISBURY, N.C., and TAMPA, Fla. Delhaize America announced its banners – Hannaford, Sweetbay, Bottom Dollar Food, and Food Lion family of banners, including Food Lion, Bloom, Harveys and Reid's – will operate under a new sustainable seafood sourcing program.

The supermarkets' new seafood policy requires suppliers to verify that seafood is coming from sources managed for sustainability and encourages sourcing locally. The requirement applies to all seafood in the stores, including fresh, frozen and packaged fish and shellfish.  All suppliers are required to be compliant with the program by March 31, 2011.

"We want our shoppers to have confidence that seafood they buy from us is from fisheries that are viable and maintained for the future," said George Parmenter, a corporate responsibility manager for Delhaize America.  "The health of fisheries is important to us as a retailer, both for the long-term product supply and for reducing the environmental impacts of products we sell.  Our company is committed to operating responsibly, and our new program reinforces this commitment."

The seafood sustainability policy will be available on the Bloom, Bottom Dollar Food, Food Lion, Hannaford and Sweetbay websites.