High Liner Foods Ranked Top North American Seafood Company in Global Sustainability Reporting and Transparency

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Mar 03, 2016, 02:28 ET

Seafoodintelligence.com recognizes High Liner Foods as an industry leader in seafood sustainability policies and disclosures

LUNENBURG, N.S., March 3, 2016 /CNW/ - High Liner Foods Incorporated ("High Liner Foods"), the leading North American value-added frozen seafood company, announced that it was ranked the top seafood company in North America and one of the top ten worldwide in a comprehensive benchmark report that examined seafood companies' sustainability reporting and transparency.

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SeafoodIntelligence.com, an international economic and market-intelligence news service based in France, analyzed the sustainability and transparency reporting efforts of the top 100 seafood companies in the world based on sales. In its 1,100-page report, published in November 2015, High Liner Foods received positive grades in several areas. The report is intended to give insights into how well seafood companies report to stakeholders and the public about their sustainability efforts, and how these companies fare when measured against each other. SeafoodIntelligence.com developed the report after analyzing seafood companies' annual reports, financial statements, policy documents and Web pages.

"At High Liner Foods, we have an unwavering commitment to the long-term sustainability of seafood. We want the way in which we conduct our business to be transparent to our customers, suppliers and other stakeholders," said Keith Decker, President and CEO of High Liner Foods. "So, we are extremely proud to be so strongly recognized for our efforts and as an industry leader in these areas."

Key areas in which High Liner Foods received high marks include:

Providing detailed information about its policies regarding sourcing certified-sustainable or responsible wild-caught and farmed raw materials to ensure clarity for its suppliers. As an example, on High Liner Foods' website and in other publicly-available materials, High Liner Foods publishes very specific criteria which its aquaculture or wild-caught suppliers must meet to do business with High Liner Foods;
The "Supplier Code of Conduct," a set of guidelines covering safe worker conditions and ethical treatment of workers to which suppliers are required to adhere; and,
Disclosing specifics about global initiatives in which High Liner Foods is involved to help fisheries and farms meet sustainability and reporting standards.

"It is important that as an industry we continue to look for ways to raise the bar on seafood sustainability practices. More transparent reporting on these practices is just one of the ways we can do this," said Bill DiMento, Vice President of Quality Assurance, Sustainability and Government Affairs for High Liner Foods. "When it comes to seafood sustainability and other areas of corporate social responsibility, High Liner Foods is committed to leading by example. Going forward, we will look for ways to improve our practices and transparency in these areas even further."

For more information about the report, visit seafoodintelligence.com.

About High Liner Foods Incorporated
High Liner Foods is the leading North American processor and marketer of value-added frozen seafood. High Liner Foods' retail branded products are sold throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico under the High Liner, Fisher Boy, Mirabel, Sea Cuisine and C. Wirthy labels, and are available in most grocery and club stores. The Company also sells branded products under the High Liner, Icelandic Seafood and FPI labels to restaurants and institutions, and is a major supplier of private label value-added frozen seafood products to North American food retailers and food service distributors. High Liner Foods is a publicly-traded Canadian company, trading under the symbol HLF on the Toronto Stock Exchange.