Giant Food Stores and Martin’s Food Markets expand ties with New England aquarium
 
Partnership encourages best practices for retail seafood sales and consumption
 
Carlisle, PA - In a move that further strengthens their commitment to providing sustainable seafood to consumers, Giant Food Stores and Martin’s Food Markets are expanding endeavors with the New England Aquarium to ensure that consumers have increased access to seafood available from seafood farms, hatcheries and processing plants that adhere to sustainable seafood programs and practices.
 
Members of the Giant and Martin’s seafood buying team and a New England Aquarium shrimp specialist recently traveled to Indonesia and Thailand to meet with shrimp vendors in these areas to collaborate and work on environmental improvements. By doing so, this gives Giant, Martin’s and the New England Aquarium a way to identify “best practices” within individual businesses and work toward applying these practices to all vendors. “We are committed to encouraging sustainable fishing and aquaculture practices among our seafood suppliers,” said Chris Kukay, Giant’s vice president of meat and seafood. “Our goal is to provide our customers with high quality seafood while taking a leadership role in protecting seafood sources and promoting sustainable operations.”
 
The effort reflects a nearly decade long commitment to improve, strengthen and expand a sustainable seafood program, centering on the creation of a 10-point policy around seafood purchasing and sales based on social, ecological, and economic considerations. Because of this, Giant and Martin’s no longer sells Chilean sea bass, orange roughy or any shark species.
 
“Our collaboration is an important tool for ocean conservation and we are proud of the steps Giant and Martin’s are undertaking,” said Lydia Bergen, director of conservation at the New England Aquarium. “Changes in purchasing habits will make a difference in the health of the oceans and ocean life.”
 
Giant and Martin’s also educates their sales associates about catching and farming techniques that are less damaging to environmental resources using tools on the company’s intranet so they can, in turn, educate customers.