From June 1Rimi Baltic" will no longer buy fish and seafood that are on the endangered list. When stopping their purchase, "Rimi Lietuva" is guided by the "Disappearing fish" guide prepared by the Lithuanian Nature Foundation. It contains a list of fish and seafood that are threatened with extinction because they are overfished or their fishing poses a threat to the environment.
Will sell already purchased and will no longer buy fish and seafood from the red list
"Currently, fish and seafood from the red list make up less than 10 percent of the total. of all the following items that Rimi already has. In order not to waste food, we will sell them and will no longer order fish or seafood from suppliers that are included in the red list compiled by the Lithuanian Nature Foundation. For example, we will no longer buy the tropical shrimp, pangasius, cod, eel, rainbow trout, black halibut contained in it," says Ana Čudinienė, head of the Quality Department of Rimi Lietuva. They and the Rimi product range teams are working hard to ensure that customers can find these and other fish they love in the chain's stores, only if they are caught or farmed sustainably, i.e. i.e. without harming nature.
According to A. Čudinienė, the decision to end the purchase of fish and seafood included in the red, endangered, list and cooperation with the Lithuanian Nature Fund is not only a long-term investment of "Rimi", as a socially responsible retail chain, but also an opportunity for buyers to contribute to sustainable fisheries and conservation of ocean fauna. "Rimi" is the first retail chain in the Baltic States to take this step and thereby draw the attention of buyers to the problems of oceans and marine ecosystems.
Choosing fish consciously does not mean giving it up
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, today more than 85 percent seafood and fish are caught far beyond what is allowed, with global consequences both ecological and social.
"Fish are caught more than they can grow - there is a constant depletion of resources. Almost a third of fish species have been harvested to such an extent that the stock is unlikely to ever recover. In order to address this issue, we have produced a guide to fish and seafood for the conscious consumer, 'Disappearing Fish'. The constantly updated online guide will help you understand which types of fish and which places caught can be eaten, and which should be avoided," says Edmundas Greimas, director of the Lithuanian Nature Foundation.
According to him, it is very important to understand that choosing fish responsibly does not mean giving it up completely. It means choosing it consciously. "In order to achieve significant changes, it is necessary that the ideas of responsible consumption be supported not only by the consumers themselves, but also by the business." "Rimi's decision and the responsible step taken is not only a weighty argument and an example for business to follow, but also a practical action that will contribute to the preservation and recovery of fish stocks," says E. Greimas.
A guide for the conscious fish consumer
In the online guide "Disappearing fish", fish species are divided into three lists according to the traffic light principle - red ("Give up"), yellow ("Think") and green ("Eat"). Red includes fish that are threatened with extinction and are recommended not to buy, yellow - fish that are not threatened by intensive fishing, but whose purchase and consumption are recommended to be reduced due to insufficient data or environmentally harmful methods of catching them, and green - fish that are not threatened with extinction, you can safely buy and eat.
Rimi has carefully reviewed its range and decided to stop buying red-listed fish and seafood. It includes fish and seafood species that are at risk of extinction due to dramatic depletion of their resources, illegal fishing, chemical pollution, and the use of destructive fishing and farming methods.
In the near future, Rimi Lietuva will expand its cooperation with the Lithuanian Nature Fund, educating buyers and helping them to choose fish and seafood more consciously. The Lithuanian Nature Foundation is one of the first environmental protection organizations in Lithuania, concerned with the preservation and restoration of natural diversity and striving for sustainable use of natural resources.
