The world’s largest seafood and aquaculture firms are failing to combat waste, and fall short on fish welfare, according to a new benchmarking assessment.
A first-ever seafood index, which was launched in May by the global investor network FAIRR Initiative, assessed 20 firms — including salmon farmers Mowi and Bakkafrost — on the social, health, and environmental impacts of their operations.
The study found that companies – which were headquartered in Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America and Latin America – fared well on social indicators such as worker representation and labour rights, but comparatively poorly on pollution, traceability, antibiotics use, and animal welfare. The seafood index is a spin-off from FAIRR’s Protein Producers Index, which combined seafood and land-based animal protein producers in its assessment, and where the world’s largest salmon farmer Mowi, was previously ranked “most sustainable protein”. In the new assessment, salmon giant Mowi once again had the best ranking while food products companies Sysco Corporation and Kyokuyo Co scored lowest at 14 and 13 out of 100.
But with MOWI achieving an overall score of just 57 out of 100, Laure Boissat, Manager of FAIRR’s research and engagement team, who worked on the Coller Seafood Index pointed out there much room for progress. “[Mowi is] the first, but their overall score is just above average, so we do identify areas for improvement,” she said.
