Olivia - SeaChoice

Seafood Progress

Brand's Commitment to Sustainable and Socially Responsible Seafood

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2023 aggregate score

Seafood Progress Average : 66

Score Trend

Increased Since Last Year

Parent Company

IFC Seafood Inc

Sustainability Commitment

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Progress Report PDFs

2023

2022

Headquarters

Ontario, Canada

Seafood Progress: Olivia

Overview

Commitment to Sustainable Seafood

How committed is Olivia to sustainable and socially responsible seafood?

	Fresh	Frozen	Shelf
Store brand
Seafood brand
No brand

Summary

55 %

of products sold in 2023 met commitment.

Sustainability Commitment. IFC Seafood (parent company of Olivia brand) informed SeaChoice that it is committed to procuring 85% of its products from MSC and ASC certified sources, and/or Ocean Wise Recommended sources, by 2025. Olivia has a full chain traceability policy in place to support its commitment that traces scientific name, geographic origin, wild or farmed and gear type or farming method, among other data elements (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 17/03/2023).

Clear Objectives

Supplier Expectations

Traceability Policy

Reporting on Activities

Social Responsibility Commitment. No publicly available information.

Step Scores

1 Commitment on sustainable seafood

Does the grocer have comprehensive seafood commitments?

2 Colecting Data

Does the grocer collect data to support its commitment?

3 Responsible Sourcing

Does the grocer make responsible sourcing decisions?

4 Transparency

Is the grocer transparent about its commitment to sustainable seafood?

5 Education

Does the grocer educate key stakeholders about the importance of its seafood commitments?

6 Supporting System Improvements

Does the grocer take initiative to support improvements to fisheries and aquaculture?

Notes

In the process of developing this profile SeaChoice corresponded with Jeff Bourgaize, Manager at IFC Seafood.

Step Scores

1 Commitments

Does the brand have comprehensive seafood commitments?

2 Collecting Data

Is the brand collecting data to support its commitment?

3 Responsible Sourcing

Is the brand making responsible sourcing decisions?

4 Transparency

Is the brand transparent about its commitment to sustainable seafood?

5 Education

Does the brand educate key stakeholders about its seafood commitments?

6 Taking Initiative

Does the brand take actions to support improvements to fisheries and aquaculture?

Notes

In the process of developing this profile SeaChoice corresponded with Jeff Bourgaize, Manager at IFC Seafood.

Step 1: Commitment

1 Commitment

Does the brand have comprehensive seafood commitments?

1.1 The brand has a publicly available commitment on environmentally sustainable seafood.

IFC Seafood (parent company of Olivia brand) informed SeaChoice that it is committed to procuring 85% of its products from MSC and ASC certified sources, and/or Ocean Wise Recommended sources, by 2025. Olivia has a full chain traceability policy in place to support its commitment that traces scientific name, geographic origin, wild or farmed and gear type or farming method, among other data elements (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 17/03/2023).

0% No publicly available environmental sustainability commitment.

20% General commitment to environmentally sustainable seafood.

40% Commitment to environmental sustainability that includes clear objectives for sustainable procurement.

60% Commitment to environmental sustainability that includes clear objectives that are supported by references to credible standards (such as Seafood Watch or Ocean Wise ratings, eco-certifications, etc.).

80% Commitment to environmental sustainability that includes clear objectives that are supported by references to credible standards and a full chain traceability policy in place (or a timeline set for implementation) that traces at least the product scientific name, geographic origin, farmed/wild and harvest method.

100% Commitment to environmental sustainability includes clear objectives that are supported by references to credible standards, a full chain traceability policy and a timeline for meeting the commitment (unless the commitment has already been met).

1.2 The brand has a publicly available commitment on socially responsible seafood.

Olivia does not have a publicly available commitment to socially responsible seafood.

0% No publicly available social responsibility commitment.

20% General commitment to socially responsible seafood.

40% Commitment to social responsibility includes with worker driven objectives that are based on credible international standards (The UN’s Guiding Principles, The WBA’s Seafood Stewardship Index, ILO and the UN Declaration).

60% Commitment to social responsibility includes clear objectives and actions or expectations for seafood suppliers.

80% Commitment to social responsibility includes clear objectives, actions or expectations for seafood suppliers, and a clear and effective traceability policy that at least involves tracing data on the existence of an independent trade union or representative worker organization.

100% Commitment to social responsibility includes clear objectives, actions or expectations for seafood suppliers, a clear and effective traceability policy, and the grocer reports publicly on activities to support social responsibility on at least an annual basis.

Step 2: Collecting Data

2 Collecting Data

Is the brand collecting data to support its commitment?

2.1 The brand collects data on scientific name.

Olivia collects data on scientific name for all its products (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 17/03/2023).

0% Does not collect data (or no information available).

50% Collects data for some products included in the grocer’s commitment.

100% Collects data for all products included in the grocer’s commitment.

2.2 The brand collects data on geographic origin.

Olivia collects data on geographic origin for all its products (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 17/03/2023).

0% Does not collect data (or no information available).

50% Collects data for some products included in the grocer’s commitment.

100% Collects data for all products included in the grocer’s commitment.

2.3 The brand collects data on whether wild or farmed.

Olivia collects data on whether wild or farmed for all its products (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 17/03/2023).

0% Does not collect data (or no information available).

50% Collects data for some products included in the grocer’s commitment.

100% Collects data for all products included in the grocer’s commitment.

2.4 The brand collects data on gear type or farming methods.

Olivia collects data on gear type or farming method for all its products (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 17/03/2023).

0% Does not collect data (or no information available).

50% Collects data for some products included in the grocer’s commitment.

100% Collects data for all products included in the grocer’s commitment.

Step 3: Sourcing

3 Responsible Sourcing

Is the brand making responsible sourcing decisions?

3.1 The brand publishes a clear hierarchy demonstrating its sourcing priorities.

Olivia has published a general list of sustainability standards that it uses to inform its purchasing decisions on its website.

0% Does not publish the sustainability standards that it uses to inform its purchasing decisions.

25% Publishes a general list of sustainability standards that it uses to inform its purchasing decisions.

50% Publishes a clear hierarchy of sustainability standards used for sourcing some products, but doesn’t identify the standards it uses to inform its purchasing decisions for other products.

75% Publishes a clear hierarchy of sustainability standards used for sourcing some products, and identifies a general list of sustainability standards that it uses to inform its purchasing decisions for other products.

100% Publishes a clear hierarchy of sustainability standards demonstrating its sourcing priorities for all products it sells.

3.2 The brand has reported on the percentage of seafood sold in the past year that met its sustainability commitment by volume or value.

IFC Seafood reported to SeaChoice that approximately 55% of its products by volume were in line with its commitment in 2022 (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 17/03/2023).

0% The grocer has not reported on the percentage of seafood sold that met its sustainability commitment (or no information available).

25% Grocer has reported that 25% or more of its seafood sold meets its sustainability commitment.

50% Grocer has reported that 50% or more of its seafood sold meets its sustainability commitment.

75% Grocer has reported that 75% or more of its seafood sold meets its sustainability commitment.

100% Grocer has reported that 100% of its seafood sold meets its sustainability commitment.

3.3 Suppliers are required to agree in writing to uphold the brand's sustainability commitment.

IFC Seafood informed SeaChoice that it requires suppliers to provide proof of certification and for certification and endorsements to be specified on all documentation on an ongoing basis (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 17/03/2023).

0% Suppliers are not required to agree in writing to uphold the terms of the grocer’s commitment.

25% Some suppliers are required to agree in writing to uphold some of the terms of the grocer’s environmental sustainability commitment.

50% All suppliers are required to agree in writing to uphold some of the terms of the grocer’s environmental sustainability commitment.

75% All suppliers are required to agree in writing to uphold all of the terms of the grocer’s environmental sustainability commitment on at least an annual basis.

100% All suppliers are required to agree in writing to uphold all of the terms of the grocer’s environmental sustainability commitment and the grocer actively verifies that this commitment is being upheld on at least an annual basis.

3.4 Suppliers are required to sign a code of conduct to uphold the brand's social responsibility commitment.

IFC Seafood informed SeaChoice that it does have a supplier code of conduct. However, SeaChoice was unable to determine if it is based on a credible international standard and if all suppliers are required to sign it on an annual basis (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 17/03/2023).

0% Suppliers are not required to sign a code of conduct (or no information).

50% All suppliers are required to sign a code of conduct that covers all of the grocer’s social responsibility commitment on at least an annual basis.

100% All suppliers are required to sign a code of conduct that covers all of the grocer’s social responsibility commitment and the grocer actively verifies that this commitment is being upheld by suppliers of high risk products.

Step 4: Transparency

4 Transparency

Is the brand transparent about its commitment to sustainable seafood?

4.1 The brand labels products with the information that allows consumers to make informed decisions.

SeaChoice found evidence that Olivia labels some products as wild or farmed, but no evidence that it labels products with species’ scientific name, geographic origin or gear type or farming method.

0% The grocer does not label products with the information (or no information available).

50% The grocer labels some products with the information.

75% The grocer labels most products with the information.

100% The grocer labels all products with the information.

4.2 The brand follows best practice guidelines for making environmental claims on its products.

Olivia uses the Ocean Wise endorsement claim on some product labels but does not make sourcing information to back up this claim available for all products. Olivia also uses the MSC and ASC certification claims on some product labels which include chain of custody to serve as evidence to back up these claims.

0% The grocer uses self-declared claims on product labels and does not make evidence to back up its claim(s) publicly available.

25% The grocer uses self-declared claims on product labels and makes evidence to back up the claim(s) publicly available.

50% The grocer uses endorsement claims on product labels but does not make the evidence to back up its claim(s) publicly available – – OR – – The grocer uses self-declared claims on product labels that adhere to ISO 14021 Type II guidance and makes evidence to back up the claim(s) publicly available.

75% The grocer uses certification claims as well as endorsement claims and/or self-declared claims that 1) adhere to ISO 14021 Type II guidance and proof of third-party verification on product labels and 2) makes evidence to back up its claim(s) publicly available.

100% The grocer only uses credible certification claims on product labels and includes a chain-of-custody identifier with publicly available evidence to back up its claim(s).

4.3 Key information regarding the brand's products has been made publicly available.

Through its product web pages, retail catalogue and FishChoice profile IFC Seafood discloses the scientific name and harvest method of all products, and the one true origin of some products (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 05/04/2022).

0% No information has been made publicly available.

50% Scientific name, geographic origin, gear type or farming method has been made publicly available for some products.

75% Scientific name, geographic origin, gear type OR farming method has been made publicly available for all products.

100% Scientific name, geographic origin, gear type AND farming method has been made publicly available for all products.

4.4 The brand publicly reports how much of its seafood meets its sustainability criteria by volume or value of sales on an annual basis.

IFC Seafood reported on the percentage of Olivia brand products that were in line with its commitment for the first time through its 2023 Seafood Progress profile.

0% No public information on how the grocer is doing to meet its commitment.

50% The grocer has at one point reported publicly how much of its seafood sold meets its commitment.

100% The grocer regularly reports publicly how much of its seafood sold meets its commitment by volume or value of sales every year.

Step 5: Education

5 Education

Does the brand educate key stakeholders about its seafood commitments?

5.1 There is a description of the brand's commitments to sustainable and socially responsible seafood on its website.

There is some description of Olivia’s commitment to sustainable seafood on its website but no description of a commitment to socially responsible seafood.

0% Training programs not conducted for seafood staff (or no information available).

50% Training programs sometimes conducted or for only some seafood staff.

75% Training programs conducted for all seafood staff, but only once.

100% Training programs regularly conducted for all seafood staff.

5.2 The brand has taken actions to ensure its suppliers are aware of its sustainable seafood commitment.

No information in Olivia’s commitment.

0% There is no description of the grocer’s commitments in store.

25% There is some description of the grocer’s commitment to sustainability OR social responsibility in store.

50% There is some description of the grocer’s commitment to sustainability AND social responsibility in store.

75% There is a comprehensive description of the grocer’s commitments to sustainability OR social responsibility in store.

100% There is a comprehensive description of the grocer’s commitments to sustainability AND socially responsibility in store.

Step 6: Taking Initiative

6 Taking Initiative

Does the brand take actions to support improvements to fisheries and aquaculture?

6.1 Farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

IFC Seafood reported to SeaChoice that it is committed to not selling any genetically engineered or modified farmed salmon (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 17/03/2023).

Only sells farmed salmon products that meet the highest bars for sustainability, i.e. are produced in a closed containment facility, Recommended by Ocean Wise and/or rated Best Choice by Seafood Watch (100 pts).

Conducts outreach to policymakers and/or certifying bodies to advocate for salmon farming management to be more environmentally sustainable (25 pts).

Works with suppliers or producers directly to improve salmon farming practices and/or to support their transition from open-net systems to closed containment systems (25 pts).

Preferentially procures farmed salmon from closed containment producers and sources that are Recommended by Ocean Wise or rated Best Choice by Seafood Watch (25 pts).

Does not sell genetically engineered (GE) or genetically modified (GM) farmed salmon (25 pts).

6.2 Farmed shrimps and prawns

IFC Seafood reported to SeaChoice that it preferentially sources ASC certified products and that it has a full chain traceability policy in place for all its products (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 17/03/2023).

Only sells farmed shrimp and prawn products that meet the highest bars for sustainability, i.e. are certified by ASC, BAP 2 star plus, Recommended by Ocean Wise and/or rated Best Choice by Seafood Watch (100 pts).

Conducts outreach to policymakers and/or certifying bodies to advocate for shrimp and prawn farming management to be more environmentally sustainable (17 pts).

Collaborates with other companies pre-competitively to improve shrimp and prawn farming practices (17 pts).

Works with suppliers or producers directly to improve shrimp and prawn farming practices (17 pts).

Refrains from advertising versions of this product that are not ASC or BAP 2 star plus certified, Not Recommended by Ocean Wise and/or rated Avoid by Seafood Watch

Preferentially procures shrimp and prawns from sources that are ASC or BAP 2 star plus certified, Recommended by Ocean Wise or Best Choice by Seafood Watch (17 pts).

Prioritizes sourcing from suppliers committed to full chain traceability and/or making social responsibility improvements (17 pts).

6.4 Other species

IFC Seafood reported to SeaChoice that it preferentially sources MSC certified products and that it has a full chain traceability policy in place for all its products (personal communication, J. Bourgaize, 17/03/2023).

Only sells versions of this product that meet the highest bars for sustainability, i.e. are certified by MSC/ASC, Recommended by Ocean Wise and/or rated Best Choice by Seafood Watch (100 pts).

Conducts outreach to policymakers and/or certifying bodies to advocate for harvest or farming method and management to be more environmentally sustainable (20 pts).

Collaborates with other companies pre-competitively to improve fishing or aquaculture practices (20 pts).

Works with suppliers or producers directly to improve fishing or farming practices (20 pts).

Preferentially sources from more sustainable sources that are MSC/ASC certified, Recommended by Ocean Wise or Best Choice by Seafood Watch (20 pts).

Prioritizes sourcing products with high levels of social responsibility and/or traceability (20 pts).

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