Intercity Packers Makes Comprehensive Commitment To Be A Leading Sustainable Seafood Distributor

Intercity Packers Meat & Seafood (Intercity Packers Ltd.) is committed to creating a company culture that is not only focused on our company's obligation to customer service and product quality, but also on sustainability of the seafood and meat products we provide our customers.  As Western Canada's premium protein distributor, we supply all center of the plate protein items including Beef, Pork, Poultry, Lamb and Seafood. However the primary purpose of this policy is to focus on our commitment to providing Sustainable seafood to our customer base.

Our team recognizes its role in helping ensure an eco-friendly, sustainable future for the seafood we buy and sell, and the overall health of our oceans. We aim to be a model of sustainability in the Canadian seafood marketplace and to emerge as a proactive leader that is well positioned to supply sustainable seafood products. We believe in the continuous improvement process and will take an active role in assisting not only external fisheries and aquaculture projects but Intercity Packers Ltd.’ internal commitment to seafood sustainability.

What is sustainable seafood?

We believe Sustainability consists of three distinct pillars – Environmental, Financial and Social and that all three are essential for seafood to be deemed sustainable. Too often the industry and general public measure sustainability based off only the environmental pillar and while that’s certainly important, without the other two pillars our commitment to Sustainability would tumble.

We also acknowledge fisheries and aquaculture endeavors that are working towards a more positive sustainability position and are engaged in credible Fishery Improvement Projects (FIP’s) and Aquaculture Improvement Projects (AIP’s).

Sustainable seafood is fish or shellfish that is caught or farmed in ways that consider the long-term viability of the resource and the communities they support.  Choosing sustainable seafood  and seafood that is on the way towards sustainability is an effective way to support best practices in the fishing and aquaculture industries to ensure the resource lasts long into the future.

Guiding Principles

The Conservation Alliance for Seafood Solutions Common Vision Statement, which Intercity Packers Ltd. publicly supports, has been used to provide the background and structure for this policy.  The guiding principles outlined in the Common Vision include:

Make a Public Commitment

Commit to developing and implementing a comprehensive, corporate policy on sustainable seafood.

Collecting Data on your Seafood Products

Assess and monitor the environmental sustainability of your seafood products and the labor risks with the supply chains you source them from.

Buying Environmentally Responsible Seafood

Support environmentally responsible seafood choices through purchasing decisions.

Be Transparent

Make information regarding your seafood products publicly available.

Educate

Educate your customers, suppliers, employees and other key stakeholders about environmentally responsible seafood.

Support Reform

Engage in and support policy and management reform that leads to positive social, economic and environmental outcomes in fisheries and aquaculture management.

Intercity Packers Ltd. (Intercity Packers Ltd.) Sustainability Mission Statement

• We will profitably source and distribute the highest quality products for our customers while continually expanding our offerings of sustainable seafood

• We are fully committed to engaging our supplier partners, employees, customers and members of the conservation community to ensure a productive, sustainable future for both wild and farmed seafood products

• We will source, purchase and promote products that offer our customers alternatives for items that do not meet current sustainability criteria.  Additionally we will selectively work with those fisheries and aquaculture projects that do not meet current sustainability criteria to help assist these groups to improve their sustainability ranking.

• We will work with our supplier partners to improve and provide complete, detailed and transparent seafood product traceability information for our customers.

• We will openly collect and share current and relevant information regarding our sustainability practices with our customers, employees, supplier partners, and the public

• We will educate our employees, supplier partners and customers on our guiding principles associated with sustainably sourced seafood products

• We will encourage policymakers to improve and develop laws and regulations that support the improvement of fisheries and aquaculture management and enforcement

• We will encourage policymakers to improve and develop laws and regulations that support the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights  and the UN FAO Port State Measures in an effort to eliminate Human Rights abuses and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fisheries.

• We will work towards implementing and maintaining innovative business and operational practices that will minimize our overall impact on the environment

Intercity Packers Ltd. is committed to working closely with its member organizations, Sea Pact and other sustainable seafood initiatives and environmental groups to take positive steps towards the sustainability of the seafood products we buy and sell.  Intercity Packers Ltd. recognizes that this commitment to continuous improvement requires creative thinking, innovative approaches, and commitment from our employees, supplier partners and customers. Click the following link to read the full Intercity Packers Ltd. Sustainability Policy: https://intercitypackers.ca/sustainability-policy/