Wegmans - Farmed Salmon

In partnership with Environmental Defense, Wegmans Food Markets, one of the country's most successful and innovative grocers, has adopted a new purchasing policy for farm-raised salmon. Wegmans is currently working with it suppliers to come into compliance with the policy.

Learn how Wegmans, along with the food service giant Bon Appétit, is addressing the most pressing health and environmental impacts of salmon farming.

Goals

• Improve the healthfulness of farmed salmon for consumers
• Reduce the impacts of farmed salmon production on wild fish populations and the ocean environment
• Promote innovation in aquaculture
• Establish guidelines for responsible salmon aquaculture

Results

The new purchasing policy requires farmed salmon producers to:

• Meet stringent health standards for contaminants like PCBs, ensuring that salmon they produce are regularly safe to eat
• Use fewer wild fish in salmon feed, helping conserve ocean fish stocks
• Use innovative techniques to reduce and mitigate the impact of farmed salmon escapes on wild populations
• Eliminate the use of hormones and genetically modified fish
• Strictly limit the use of antibiotics and other drugs in salmon production
• Use production systems that do not discharge chemicals and metals (except in feed)
• Achieve continuous reductions and provide regular reporting of disease rates on farms
• Reduce water pollution through an innovative technique called integrated aquaculture
• Eliminate the killing or routine harassment of wildlife
• Demonstrate performance on the standards through annual public reports and third-party audits

Press releases

New Farmed Salmon Standards adopted by Wegmans and Bon Appétit
03/13/2006

Posted: 13-Jul-2009; Updated: 08-Sep-2009