Overfishing and irresponsible fishing practices are the key drivers for the dangerous decline of fish stocks and destruction of wildlife habitats. The ALDI SOUTH Group is committed to responsible sourcing practices for all its fish and seafood products. We will achieve this goal by focusing on responsible sourcing and product certification.
Meeting high demands comes at a cost
Fish stocks and ocean biodiversity are under increasing pressure around the world. Overfishing and bycatch, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing practices, and poor fisheries management cause major concerns. As wild fish populations decline, most of the seafood consumed today comes from fish farms, also known as aquaculture. These fish farms help meet the high demand for fish and seafood. At the same time, they can cause envrionmental damage and be connected to human rights violations.
The ALDI SOUTH Group is committed to the principles of responsibility and sustainability when sourcing our own-label fish. Additionally, we are continuously increasing the proportion of responsibly sourced products in our overall fish and seafood range.
Where is our fish & seafood coming from?
As traceability is the only way to ensure ethical sourcing throughout the supply chain, it is a critical aspect. Supply chain transparency is the foundation of all our sustainability measures. Without knowing where our products come from, we cannot ensure compliance with our requirements, analyse risks, monitor, or implement projects. We work closely with our business partners and suppliers to increase the transparency of our supply chains and implement traceability tools. Our aim is to better understand the origin of the products we sell and the raw materials we use in our products.
The Check Your Product traceability platform launched by HOFER Austria, HOFER Slovenia, ALDI Hungary and ALDI SUISSE offers customers more transparency on selected fish, meat, soy, organic and fruit products. By scanning a QR-code or inserting the tracking number on the packaging, the products can be traced back to their origins.
ALDI UK/IE, ALDI Australia, and ALDI US have joined the Ocean Disclosure Project (ODP) to voluntarily disclose sourcing information on their wild-caught seafood products. They disclose a list of all the fisheries, catch methods, and environmental impacts of their wild-caught seafood.
Certification to ensure quality and sustainable standards
We aim to provide our customers with sustainably sourced products of the highest quality at the best possible price. Therefore, we use the following tools when buying fish: independent certification schemes, well rated FIPS, Sustainable fisheries Partnership (SFP) ratings and ISSA/PVR for Tuna. These ensure that products in our fish and seafood range are sourced in an environmentally responsible way. The ALDI SOUTH Group has established minimum criteria for the responsible sourcing of fish and seafood. Products that do not meet our sourcing requirements will be discontinued and/or switched to responsible sources. Plans with relevant suppliers have already been set in motion.
Risks and impacts within the fish & seafood supply chain
The ALDI SOUTH Group developed and implemented a Social Monitoring Programme. This is to ensure compliance with social and environmental standards together with our suppliers. Third party audits are requested before the production of goods start and must remain valid during the production period. We then closely monitor Corrective Action Plans (CAPS) which may have been developed after a third party audit to ensure successful remediation.
We also conduct risk and impact assessments (HRIA) to examine human rights concerns along our high-risk supply chains, including fish and seafood. These help us understand the potential and actual impacts of our business activities and relationships. Based on our findings, we formulate a human rights action plan to mitigate risks and enhance positive impacts within the supply chain.
Find out more about our policies, initiatives, and projects. The Fish & Seafood Factsheet provides information about the ALDI SOUTH Group for benchmarking enquiries.
Source: *Seafood Watch
