Bumble Bee Foods Announces Clinton Global Initiative Sustainability Commitment with World Wildlife Fund

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading North America seafood company Bumble Bee Foods, in partnership with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), announced a joint commitment to seafood sustainability at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York City on Wednesday. The CGI Commitment builds upon the 2013 partnership between Bumble Bee and WWF in which Bumble Bee will contribute a minimum of $1 million over the next five years to WWF's ocean conservation efforts through the sale of its Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified Wild Selections® product line. 

Bumble Bee President and CEO Chris Lischewski and WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts together announced the joint commitment at the CGI Annual Meeting.

"Today's shared commitment will enhance our efforts to educate consumers of the importance of seafood and ocean conservation," said Lischewski. "Through communications, consumer education, and retail partnerships, we aim to increase understanding of what is sustainably caught seafood, why it's important, and what measures can be taken to improve the health of the world's oceans. Ultimately, through this partnership our goal is to expand and create additional sustainably certified fisheries, and to impact seafood sustainability on a significant scale."

During the CGI Annual Meeting Oceans Action Network session, Lischewski also highlighted the critical role oceans play in people's lives around the globe and the need to ensure collective, sustainable management of ocean resources.

Lischewski said: "Bumble Bee is committed to responsible, sustainable fishing practices and global resource management, and will continue to play an active role in developing and implementing conservation measures that will ensure this outcome. As our primary business is seafood, it's imperative to us and to the three billion people who rely on seafood as an affordable source of lean protein that we all adhere to practices and policies that ensure long-term health and viability of our fisheries resources."

Lischewski pointed to successful partnerships between industry, scientists and NGOs such as the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) as effective in helping to advance conservation priorities across sectors. 

Bumble Bee joined CGI in the spring of 2013 and has been a contributor to the Oceans and Fisheries Conservation and Management network within CGI's Environmental Stewardship platform.

About Bumble Bee Foods
Bumble Bee Foods, LLC, headquartered in San Diego, is North America's largest branded seafood company, offering a full line of canned and pouched tuna, salmon, sardine, and specialty protein products marketed in the U.S. under leading brands including Bumble Bee^®, Brunswick^®, Snow's^® and Beach Cliff^®, and in Canada under the Clover Leaf^® brand. The company also produces premium fresh frozen seafood under the Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ line. Bumble Bee SuperFresh™ seafood is cleaned, cut and fresh frozen within hours, then chef prepared with high-quality all natural ingredients.

Bumble Bee's mission is to provide high-quality, nutritious product and meal solutions that are sourced sustainably. Its BeeWell for Life^® brand philosophy and signature program by the same name encourage consumers to eat healthfully and deliciously while maintaining an active everyday lifestyle. Bumble Bee^® is a founding member of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation — a first-of-kind initiative in the U.S. involving a coalition of retailers, non-profit organizations and food and beverage manufacturers with a mission to help reduce obesity, particularly childhood obesity by 2015.

Bumble Bee^® also actively promotes the responsible stewardship of global fisheries resources and is a founder of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) — a global partnership of scientists, tuna processors and WWF, the global conservation organization. For more information, visit www.BumbleBee.com and www.wildselections.com.

About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,300 commitments, which are already improving the lives of more than 400 million people in over 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $73.5 billion.

CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

SOURCE Bumble Bee Foods