Groundbreaking salmon feed reduces wild-caught
fish inputs to earn “Good Alternative” rating from Monterey Bay
Aquarium Seafood Watch; removes environmental contaminants to make
farmed salmon healthier
Pioneering Norwegian fish farmers Kvarøy and Selsøyvik worked
together with importer Blue Circle Foods, leading feed company
BioMar and Whole Foods Market, to create In the Blue, an innovative
farmed fish feed that conserves marine resources and reduces
environmental contaminants in farmed salmon.
This Smart News Release features multimedia.
View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160128005489/en/
Kvaroy fish farm in Norway where In the
Blue feed was used to create the first ever farmed salmon with a
fish-in, fish-out ratio below 1-to-1. The feed is also the first to
remove environmental contaminants, creating a cleaner finished
salmon that ends up on dinner plates. (Photo: Business Wire)
The new feed has led to the first farmed salmon with a fish-in,
fish-out ratio below 1-to-1, earning it a “Good Alternative” rating
from Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® program, a rare mark for
farmed salmon. Other salmon farms have ratios that average
approximately 1.6-to-1, though Whole Foods Market’s aquaculture
standards have target ratios of 1-to-1, which In the Blue worked to
exceed.
Unlike conventional feeds, which are produced with fish caught
solely for feed, In the Blue is made with trimmings from
wild-caught fish that are already bound for human consumption. The
trimmings are pressed into oil that is cleaned to reduce
environmental contaminants like heavy metals and PCBs
(Polychlorinated biphenyls). Because environmental contaminants
found in farmed fish are predominantly passed through feed
ingredients, removing those substances from the oil keeps them out
of salmon that end up on dinner plates.
The production method for this salmon feed was developed by
connecting existing capabilities. The trimmings are sourced from
established wild-caught seafood processors, and the oil-cleaning
technology is already common in producing fish oil supplements.
This salmon is sold at Whole Foods Market, which launched its
rigorous farmed salmon standards in 2007 and has continued to
strengthen the requirements every year since. The company
implements this continuous improvement process, which includes
third-party-audited metrics for fish-in, fish-out ratios and
contaminant levels among the other standards, to create a model of
more sustainable aquaculture for the industry. Blue Circle Foods,
BioMar and the fish farmers worked to exceed these standards with
In the Blue feed.
“We knew we’d have to make a significant investment of time and
budget to create this custom feed for only two farms, but the risk
was definitely worth it when we saw the difference this process
could make for consumers, the industry and our planet,” said Vidar
Gundersen, Group Sustainability Manager for BioMar. “This kind of
innovation is only possible because of the inspiration and
partnership with Blue Circle Foods, and the purchasing commitment
from Whole Foods Market. Together, we believe this farmed seafood
approach will help feed the world sustainably, safely and, of
course, deliciously.”
“This new approach to fish feed is so exciting because it’s
exactly the kind of industry-leading solution that we hoped would
result from Whole Foods Market’s Responsibly Farmed standards,”
said Carrie Brownstein, seafood quality standards coordinator for
Whole Foods Market. “We developed ambitious yet achievable
standards to create a model of more sustainable aquaculture, and we
are thrilled to see In the Blue bring that to life with better
farmed salmon for our shoppers, and a better example for the
industry at large.”
In addition to meeting Whole Foods Market’s Responsibly Farmed
standards, In the Blue earned Blue Circle’s farmed salmon a “Good
Alternative” rating from Seafood Watch. The program defines
“sustainable seafood” as seafood from sources, whether wild-caught
or farmed, that can maintain or increase production without
jeopardizing the structure and function of affected ecosystems.
This net gain of protein that Blue Circle Foods has achieved by
using trimmings helped meet those sustainability goals.
Going forward, all stakeholders involved - BioMar, Blue Circle
Foods and Whole Foods Market - hope the model created for farmed
salmon feed can become common practice, and eventually expand to
other species. The sooner the market will support this kind of
growth, the industry and consumers alike can expect this highest
quality farmed seafood to become an even more affordable,
sustainable protein option.
For more information, and links to photo assets, please visit
media.wfm.com.
For video featuring the experts behind In the Blue, visit
https://vimeo.com/bluecirclefoods/intheblue.
For more information, recipes and details about the In the Blue
project visit, www.bluecirclefoods.com. For sales related inquiries
contact Bill Cole, Bill@bluecirclefoods.com, (810) 334-9979.
About Blue Circle
Founded in 2005 by four food enthusiasts, Blue Circle Foods is
not your average seafood company. With deep roots in the organic
industry, we made it a priority to be at the forefront of a
revolution in production, practice and taste. Together we bring our
revolutionary spirit to the oceans with a bold mission to change
the diminishing seafood landscape for good. We source, import and
distribute the most responsible farm-raised and wild-caught seafood
to ensure that both present and future consumers can enjoy our high
quality products.
About Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett and Selsøyvik
Kvarøy Fiskeoppdrett and Selsøyvik are both family
run salmon farms, which were established in the late
1970s. Their farm sites are located just north of the Arctic
Circle, in Norway. Three generations later, they continue
to evolve but their roots lie in the core
concepts established by their forefathers; to
offer salmon of the highest quality, without compromising the
environment or the welfare of the fish.
About The BioMar Group
The BioMar Group is one of the leading suppliers of high
performance fish feed to the aquaculture industry. BioMar’s main
business areas are feed for salmon and trout in Norway, the United
Kingdom, and Chile, feed for trout, eel, sea-bass, and
sea-bream in Continental Europe, and feed for shrimp and tilapia in
South and Central America. About one out of four farmed fish
produced in Europe, Chile and South and Central America are
fed with BioMar fish feed. Worldwide the BioMar Group supplies
feed to around 60 countries and to more than 30 different fish
species.
About Whole Foods Market®
Founded in 1980 in Austin, Texas, Whole Foods
Market (wholefoodsmarket.com) (NASDAQ: WFM), is the leading natural
and organic food retailer. As America’s first national certified
organic grocer, Whole Foods Market was named “America’s Healthiest
Grocery Store” by Health magazine. The company's motto, “Whole
Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet”™ captures its mission to ensure
customer satisfaction and health, Team Member excellence and
happiness, enhanced shareholder value, community support and
environmental improvement. Thanks to the company’s more than
91,000 team members, Whole Foods Market has been ranked as one of
the “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America by FORTUNE magazine
for 18 consecutive years. In fiscal year 2014, the company had
sales of more than $14 billion and currently has more than 434
stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. For
more company news and information, please visit media.wfm.com.
View source
version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160128005489/en/
Conversation Piece Marketing & PREmily Kealey,
512-638-1416emily.kealey@conversationpiecepr.comorWhole Foods
MarketMcKinzey Crossland,
512-542-0117mckinzey.crossland@wholefoods.com
Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:WFM)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:WFM)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024