As Europe’s largest fish buyer and processor, the company has developed a highly proactive approach to sustainable seafood sourcing. Fish is (uniquely) one of the last major sources of wild-caught food on earth. Although aquaculture has a growing role, most of the fish we eat is still wild caught. With increasing global demand, Young’s needed to ensure that it could continue to access good quality, responsibly caught seafood and in the process help to secure a long term sustainable future for the world’s fisheries, safeguarding fish resources for future generations.
The Young’s ‘Fish for Life’ programme focuses on changing and improving the seafood supply chain – from seafood procurement, through to product development and marketing. It now applied not just to Young’s but to its parent group, Foodvest, which also includes the Findus frozen food brand in Scandinavia and France. As a major buyer in the global seafood marketplace, Young’s has developed - and is applying - a rigorous approach to seafood sourcing which requires all its suppliers to adopt best practice.
By developing a wider portfolio of seafood products made with responsibly caught fish, Young’s is also seeking to heighten industry and consumer awareness and understanding so that the demand for sustainable seafood increases and acceptance of non-sustainably sourced seafood is reduced.
The FFL Fishery Health Check is the key tool for assessing species and fisheries, so that risk factors can be systematically assessed. It produces a ‘Low, Medium or High’ risk assessment and allows Young’s them to identify and focus on areas of concern and give clear direction for corrective action. Purchasing strategies are amended according outcomes of the assessment.
Ten Principles of Responsible Fish Procurement are the rules which govern Young’s sourcing approach, the cornerstone of ‘Fish for Life’ and a key means of explaining this approach both to suppliers, the wider industry, environmental groups and as part of Young’s UK marketing programme.
