Only grocery retailer in the world to be nominated in 2012
BRAMPTON, ON, July 31, 2012 /CNW/ - (TSX: L) Loblaw Companies Limited (Loblaw) is proud to announce that it has been
nominated as a finalist for the 2012 Seafood Champion Award, which
recognizes individuals and companies around the world for outstanding
leadership in promoting environmentally responsible seafood.
Seafood Choices established this prestigious global award in 2006 to
honor the past and/or present contributions of those in the seafood
industry who demonstrate a commitment to innovation that leads to
change. Seafood Champion Award winners exemplify outstanding
contributions in the context of environmental, social, and economic
sustainability, and advance the sustainable seafood movement above and
beyond best practice.
This year, Loblaw is the only retailer in the world to be nominated.
Other nominees include marine conservation and seafood organizations,
government representatives and chefs from around the world.
"This nomination is a great honour and speaks to the level of commitment
Loblaw has in ensuring our oceans remain healthy," said Paul Uys, vice
president, sustainable seafood, Loblaw Companies Limited. "As Canada's
largest purchaser of seafood, we have a responsibility to ensure our
seafood products come from sustainable sources."
Loblaw is widely recognized as a global leader in seafood sustainability
and is committed to sourcing all of the seafood sold in its stores from
sustainable sources by the end of 2013. As part of this goal, Loblaw
collaborates with WWF Canada (the World Wildlife Fund), Marine
Stewardship Council (MSC), independent marine science advisors,
government agencies and its many seafood vendors.
The winner of the 2012 Seafood Champion Awards will be announced during
an awards ceremony to be held on September 7th, during the 10th
International Seafood Summit in Hong Kong. From September 13 to 26,
2012, Loblaw is introducing Oceans for Tomorrow, an in-store event aimed at educating and engaging customers about the
importance of choosing sustainable seafood and Loblaw's commitment to
keeping oceans healthy in select Loblaw banner stores across Canada.
Visit www.oceansfortomorrow.ca for more information.
Quotes:
"WWF is committed to protecting Canada's Oceans to ensure their
long-term health and sustainability," says Gerald Butts, president and
ceo, WWF - Canada. "We can't achieve this alone. It takes leadership
and partnership as demonstrated by Loblaw. We congratulate Loblaw on
this important nomination and hope that other retailers will follow the
strong example they have set."
"Already the largest retail supplier in Canada of MSC-certified
sustainable seafood products, Loblaw continues to work diligently with
us and their vendors to further increase the number of MSC-certified
offerings," said Kerry Coughlin, MSC regional director, Americas. "This
shows a tremendous commitment to preserving our ocean resources, and
the honor of being named a finalist for this award is well deserved by
Loblaw."
"All of our nominees have made great strides in the area of seafood
sustainability," said Ned Daly, special projects advisor, Seafood
Choices. "We applaud Loblaw along with fellow nominees for their
passion and commitment as they help to set a standard that we hope
others will follow."
More information about Loblaw's corporate social responsibility (CSR)
commitments along with the Company's sustainable seafood commitment can
be found online at www.loblaw.ca/csr, www.loblaw.ca/seafood, www.oceansfortomorrow.ca and on Facebook www.facebook.com/LoblawSustainableSeafood.
For more information about Seafood Choices and the 10th annual Seafood Summit visit www.seafoodchoices.com.
About Loblaw Companies Limited (TSX: L)
Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited,
is Canada's largest food retailer and a leading provider of drugstore,
general merchandise and financial products and services. Loblaw is one
of the largest private sector employers in Canada. With more than 1,000
corporate and franchised stores from coast to coast, Loblaw and its
franchisees employ more than 135,000 full-time and part-time employees.
Through its portfolio of store formats, Loblaw is committed to
providing Canadians with a wide, growing and successful range of
products and services to meet the everyday household demands of
Canadian consumers. Loblaw is known for the quality, innovation and
value of its food offering. It offers Canada's strongest control
(private) label program, including the unique President's Choice®, no name® and Joe Fresh® brands. In addition, the Company makes available to consumers President's Choice Financial® services and offers the PC® points loyalty program.