South African retailer Woolworths has become the latest partner in the Global Tuna Alliance (GTA). The GTA is an independent group of retailers and supply chain companies who work to ensure that tuna ultimately meets the highest standards of environmental performance and social responsibility.

Woolworths is based in South Africa and trades in 10 countries across sub-Saharan Africa. The retailer has a dedicated seafood sustainability programme called Fishing for the Future. As well as committing to procuring all their seafood from sustainable fisheries and farms, they collaborate with several local and international seafood sustainability awareness and certification programmes to ensure all their seafood is responsibly sourced and traceable back to the boat that caught it or the farm that raised it.

Latiefa Behardien, Woolworths Head of Food: Technology, Food Safety and Sustainability said, “At Woolworths we believe that the responsible production and consumption of seafood is a key part of a sustainable food future. The retail industry plays a crucial role in connecting producers to consumers and in advocating and supporting the necessary improvements in sustainability practices in the food value chain. Consumers are increasingly concerned about biodiversity loss and supporting environmental sustainability. Minimising harms is no longer good enough – to ensure that tuna remains an iconic consumer seafood choice, the countries and companies fishing for tuna will have to go beyond conventional sustainability and adopt regeneration for a resilient and successful future.”

Dr Tom Pickerell, Executive Director at the Global Tuna Alliance, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Woolworths into the GTA; as our first African partner we will look to Latiefa and her team for guidance on how best to support African interests within the GTA. The addition of Woolworths reflects our desire to be a truly global association”.