Sheba Entrées For Cats announced that by the end of 2013, all of the brand’s U.S. recipes will include only responsibly sourced fish — even adding sustainable salmon to the menu.
The action comes as part of a 2010 commitment made by Sheba’s parent company, Mars Petcare, to use only sustainably sourced fish by 2020. Mars agreed to begin sourcing fish from 100 percent sustainable wild catch and aquaculture stocks and making use of sustainable alternatives to marine fish ingredients.
Sheba says it already offers five varieties of sustainably sourced seafood, including whitefish and tuna.
The move follows the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program sourcing recommendations, which calls for using only farmed or wild-caught fish from environmentally responsible sources.
“We are pleased to see Sheba taking a leadership role in protecting the world’s oceans,” said Seafood Watch Director Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly. “By offering responsibly sourced fish entrées, the brand is demonstrating a genuine commitment to supporting healthy and diverse ecosystems.”
Increased demand for seafood is putting a major strain on the world’s oceans and unsustainable fishing and fish-farming practices pose a threat to fragile aqua ecosystems. Sheba says it hopes to serve as a catalyst for the sustainable seafood market by working with organizations such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
McDonalds recently began selling Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-approved fish in all of its U.S. restaurants. MSC certification indicates that over 14,000 McDonald’s restaurants across the U.S. have met the MSC Chain of Custody standard for traceability, which is the ability to track the fish all the way back through the supply chain to the fishery.
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Founder, Hower Impact
Mike Hower is the founder of Hower Impact — a boutique consultancy delivering strategic communication advisory and support for corporate sustainability, ESG and climate tech.
Published Mar 5, 2013 11am EST / 8am PST / 4pm GMT / 5pm CET