Saving Seafood

Premium scallop line, rebranding effort part of the next chapter for Northern Wind

March 15, 2018 — New Bedford, Massachusetts-based seafood supplier Northern Wind, celebrated a milestone 30-year anniversary at the 2018 Seafood Expo North America event in Boston, Massachusetts. Company founders Ken Melanson and Michael Fernandes, along with Northern Wind’s co-CEO George S. Kouri, said they look forward to blossoming the success of Northern Wind even further in the years to come.

“We’re looking forward to the next chapter, because the first 30 years have been so robust and fruitful for the company,” Kouri said. “The next chapter for this company brings a lot of different opportunities for us – it brings opportunity for change; it brings opportunity to increase channels of distribution; it brings opportunities for new product sourcing; it brings opportunity for our re-branding efforts in packaging, re-facing the company in the image we want to project. It goes on and on, including Fair Trade.”

Besides scallops, the supplier has established a wide-ranging portfolio including ahi tuna, Atlantic salmon, North American lobster, monkfish, headfish, skate, and value-added seafood offerings. But the business has made its name with scallops.

“We have strict and strong historical relationships with vessels. We have state-of-the-art facilities with very well-financed capital improvements that enable us to process and produce probably more scallops than anyone in this industry,” Kouri said. “We’re very much known for our quality, our credibility, our loyalty to our supply side, and our customer service.”

A year ago, the company was the first scallop producer in the nation to receive Fair Trade certification. Building off demand from the foodservice sector for premium scallops, the company has launched its Captain’s Call Five-Star Premium Scallops.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

 

Lund’s Fisheries Offering Fair Trade Certified Scallops

March 12, 2018 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Lund’s Fisheries has announced that they are now offering Fair Trade Certified scallops, a first in the United States for an Atlantic sea scallop fishery.

“Ethically and sustainably harvested seafood is increasingly demanded by consumers. It is the right thing for the environment and the right thing for people,” said Wayne Reichle, President of Lund’s Fisheries. “We are proud to sell a product that’s as good for our fishermen as it is for the consumer.”

Lund’s Fisheries received approval from an independent certification group to be able to sell their scallops using the Fair Trade label. The label was designed to show consumers that the product meets the highest standards for environmental sustainability, social responsibility and fair labor practices.

“We are excited to welcome Lund’s fisheries to the Fair Trade family of certified suppliers as they expand their commitment to sustainability by bringing the benefits of Fair Trade certification to the fishermen and processing workers who are an integral part of their success,” added Julie Kuchepatocv, Seafood Director at Fair Trade USA.

This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.

 

Northern Wind and Bristol Seafood Celebrate One Year of Fair Trade Scallops; Give Back to Fishing Communities

March 9, 2018 — The following was released by Northern Wind and Bristol Seafood:

Northern Wind and Bristol Seafood are celebrating one year of selling Fair Trade Certified scallops. A year ago, the two companies came together to form a Fair Trade fishing association called the Northwest Atlantic Sea Scallop Fisheries. As part of their participation in the program, the association commits to reinvest a portion of their Fair Trade profits back into the fishing community. Northwest Atlantic Sea Scallop Fisheries chose to dedicate a portion of the premium of their Fair Trade Certified scallops to the Fisheries Survival Fund (FSF), which represents over 250 full-time scallop fishermen.

FSF works to ensure the long-term health of Atlantic sea scallops and the scallop fishery by partnering with the industry, regulators, and scientists. It promotes sustainable management while helping to make the scallop fishery one of the most valuable in the United States. The Atlantic sea scallop fishery is the first American fishery to be awarded the Fair Trade designation.

“There is increasing demand for sustainably and responsibly harvested seafood, and we are proud to sell scallops with the Fair Trade Certified label,” said Ken Melanson, CEO of Northern Wind. “Seafood buyers need to know that the Atlantic scallop fishery meets the world’s highest standards.”

The program, operated by independent certification group Fair Trade USA, requires fisheries to meet stringent environmental, labor, and social responsibility standards. Certified fisheries must fish stocks that are sustainably managed, provide fair wages and benefits to employees, and maintain safe working conditions.

“Fair Trade certification is a key part of our commitment to promoting economically sustainable communities and environmentally sustainable fisheries,” said Peter Handy, CEO of Bristol Seafood. “Supporting the work of the Fisheries Survival Fund helps us to continue to safeguard the future sustainability of the scallop fishery.”

The Northwest Atlantic Sea Scallop Fisheries vessels participating in the Fair Trade program are the Hear No Evil, Let It Ride, Bountiful 2, Diligence, Sandra Jane, Concordia, Contender, Ambassador, Sea Ranger Vanquish and Vantage. The participating vessels land their Fair Trade scallops at Tempest Fisheries, Ltd. in the Port of New Bedford. 

“We’ve loved working with Bristol Seafood and Northern Wind over the past year,” said Ashley Apel, Senior Seafood Program Manager at Fair Trade USA. “We look forward to continuing to strengthen the livelihoods of fishermen and improve the wellbeing of fishing communities here in the U.S.”

About Northern Wind

Northern Wind is a direct off-loader, processor, and distributor of fresh and frozen scallops, along with additional seafood offerings. Founded in 1987 by Ken Melanson and Michael Fernandes, Northern Wind has since grown to a team of 100 full-time employees and operates a state-of-the art BRC facility on New Bedford’s historic waterfront. Since the very beginning, the Northern Wind Team has always dedicated themselves to consistently supplying customers with high quality products at superior service levels and competitive prices.

About Bristol Seafood

Bristol provides quality seafood to people who care about what they eat. Founded in 1992, the company enjoys a nationwide following due to steadfast adherence to its uncompromising Maine standards. Bristol pairs efficiency-building technologies with finishing done the old-fashioned way – by hand. In 2016, Bristol reported record sales for the second consecutive year, and shipped more than six million pounds of seafood from its facility on the Portland, Maine fish pier. The company is the first and only processor of mussels, scallops, or fillets in the state of Maine to earn a Safe Quality Food Institute certification, and the first company to introduce a Fair Trade certified seafood item harvested in US waters.

 

Lund’s Fisheries Now Offers Fair Trade Certified Scallops

March 9, 2018 — The following was released by Lund’s Fisheries:

Lund’s Fisheries is pleased to announce that starting next week at Seafood Expo North America in Boston, the firm will offer Fair Trade CertifiedTM scallops to its customers. The independent certification group Fair Trade USA has granted Lund’s provisional approval to sell scallops using its Fair Trade label.

The Atlantic sea scallop fishery is the first in the United States to be Fair Trade Certified, and Lund’s is the fourth seller to offer Fair Trade Certified scallops. Lund’s was audited by independent third party certifier SCS Global Services earlier this year. Lund’s is currently working to complete the process and earn final certification.

“Ethically and sustainably harvested seafood is increasingly demanded by consumers. It is the right thing for the environment, and the right thing for people. Our scallops are at the forefront of that effort, ” said Wayne Reichle, President of Lund’s Fisheries. “We are proud to sell a product that’s as good for our fishermen as it is for the consumer.”

The Fair Trade designation ensures that products sold under its label meet the highest standards for environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and fair labor practices. Seafood that is Fair Trade Certified lets consumers know that the product they are purchasing comes from a responsible supplier of sustainable products.

“We are excited to welcome Lund’s Fisheries to the Fair Trade family of certified suppliers as they expand their commitment to sustainability by bringing the benefits of Fair Trade certification to the fishermen and processing workers who are an integral part of their success,” said Julie Kuchepatov, Seafood Director at Fair Trade USA.

The Fair Trade Certified label for Lund’s is the latest signal to consumers that U.S.-caught scallops are ethically and sustainably harvested. The Atlantic sea scallop fishery has been previously certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. The Fair Trade designation is part of Lund’s Fisheries commitment to meeting the seafood industry’s most stringent standards for environmental and social responsibility.

About Lund’s Fisheries

Since 1954, the Lund’s Fisheries’ brand and products have inspired trust and confidence worldwide. With locations on both the east and west coasts of the United States, we are able to offer our customers a wide range of high-quality fresh and frozen seafood products produced by our company-owned fishing vessels and the many independent vessels we deal with. Lund’s is a leader in cooperative fisheries research and management to ensure we have a long-term sustainable supply of products for our customers. We believe that fisheries must be managed based on sound science and work hard to be sure our resources are available for generations to come. Never satisfied or complacent about setting a standard, our team works continuously to improve and raise the quality of our products for the benefit of our customers.

About Fair Trade USA

Fair Trade USA is a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable livelihoods for farmers, fishermen, and workers, protects fragile ecosystems, and builds strong, transparent supply chains through independent, third-party certification. Its trusted Fair Trade Certified™ label signifies that rigorous standards have been met in the production, trade and promotion of Fair Trade products from over 80 countries across the globe. Recognized as a leading social venture by the Clinton Global Initiative, the Skoll Foundation and Ashoka, Fair Trade USA also provides critical capacity-building programs at origin, and educates consumers about the power of their purchase. Visit www.FairTradeCertified.org for more information.

About SCS Global Services

SCS is a global leader in third-party quality, environmental and sustainability verification, certification, auditing, testing, and standards development, and a leader in fishery certification worldwide. Through auditing, certification, testing, life cycle assessment, training and strategic consulting services, SCS empowers organizations to affirm and communicate their sustainability success stories. SCS is a chartered benefit corporation, reflecting its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible business practices.

 

Northern Wind gets ‘fair trade’ nod for fresh scallops in Hy-Vee partnership

August 4, 2017 — New Bedford, Massachusetts scallop distributor and processor Northern Wind has received certification from non-profit Fair Trade USA for fresh scallops. The processor has placed the scallops in stores run by the midwest grocer Hy-Vee, a longtime Northern Wind customer.

The status goes a step beyond other sustainability frameworks like the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) to consider social and labor aspects of trade, George Kouri, the company’s co-CEO, told Undercurrent News.

Under the concept of “fair trade,” the growing conditions of products typically seen as commodities such as coffee or bananas are monitored by a third-party and assessed to higher labor and social standards than those that would otherwise occur in the market. Small-scale producers are often paid higher wages for the products, which are marketed accordingly and carry a premium price.

In the case of scallops — which have enjoyed strong pricing lately — some of the proceeds from the fair trade system will go to fund community projects, education, the Fisheries Survival Fund and other worthy efforts, Kouri said.

Read the full story at Undercurrent News

Seafood joins fair trade revolution, a scallop at a time

April 17, 2017 — Fair trade coffee, bananas and … scallops? Yes, very soon.

Fair trade certification status, which is conferred by independent groups to denote environmental sustainability and fair working conditions, has been around for years. But it’s just now on the rise among seafood products in the U.S., where consumer interest in the story behind the fish and shellfish they eat is growing.

Certification of seafood products, including tuna and shrimp, began in 2014, and the volume of imports of such products grew more than 350 percent last year to more than 1.2 million pounds (500,000 kilograms), said Fair Trade USA, a California-based nonprofit group. The first company to offer fair trade seafood harvested from U.S. waters will have scallops on the market this month.

The company, Bristol Seafood of Portland, Maine, is looking to capitalize on the growing interest in authenticity of seafood, said its president, Peter Handy.

“There’s a certain sanctity to food when it comes to the story about it,” he said. “It tastes better the more you know.”

Independent groups, including Fair Trade USA, provide certifications to a host of products that people buy in stores, ranging from fruit and nuts to home goods. The certification is most commonly associated with coffee, which launched the fair trade movement in the 1990s.

To achieve certification, companies need to submit to an audit and interviews to make sure the food is produced with fair working conditions and environmental stewardship along the supply chain. Packaged products can then bear a “Fair Trade Certified” seal, which carries a price premium.

Fair Trade USA currently certifies shrimp from Mexico, yellowfin tuna from Indonesia, and skipjack and yellowfin tuna from Maldives. It is the only group currently certifying seafood as fair trade, representatives for the nonprofit said.

Interest in the seafood supply chain has grown since an Associated Press investigation of slave labor conditions in Thailand’s shrimp fishery, said Ashley Apel, senior manager of the seafood program for Fair Trade USA. Even before that, a 2014 study by a pair of economists from the University of Kentucky said more than 80 percent of consumers were at least somewhat influenced by labels that tell the story of seafood.

“It was the right place and right time to show that the seafood industry needs a fair trade certification,” Apel said.

The standards for achieving the certification for seafood products focus on management of fish stocks and fishing habitat, as well as the wages and working conditions of the fishermen and others in the supply chain. Steps must be taken to eliminate forced labor and human trafficking, and workers must have the freedom to organize. At the same time, there must be documentation of things like proper waste management and protection of ecosystems, Fair Trade USA’s materials state.

Fair Trade USA is one of a handful of major groups involved in certifying food products, with another prominent one other being Germany-based Fairtrade International.

They’re banking on chefs and restaurants getting excited about the products. Barton Seaver, a chef and author in Freeport, Maine, said fair trade seafood is too new to be familiar to many restaurateurs but is part of seafood’s future.

“It’s currently in its infancy, but I think the products they are working with will quickly prove the model, and the value that it can offer,” he said.

Read the full story from the Associated Press at the Gloucester Times