Wegmans Blog: Fresh Stories

Back in July, I visited the farm where we source our popular Food You Feel Good About Shrimp from Belize. As a Communications Specialist for Wegmans, part of my time is spent determining how to best tell our sustainability story to all of you. Belize Aquaculture Limited (BAL) is a great example of how our merchants seek out unique and different suppliers to bring their exceptional products to our stores.

We’ve told our “Belize” story many times, but our admiration of this company grows as our partnership develops.

Our trip in July was to observe the farm (in the Stann Creek District of Belize – a country on the east coast of Central America) and be sure that the same standards we agreed upon in 2007 were still being met under its new ownership. Standards like maintaining a zero-water exchange, no antibiotics used in personal statement writing service the product, no preservatives used in the processing, and no damage to natural mangroves, among other things.

We also wanted to be sure BAL was heading in a profitable direction, because that is one of the pillars of sustainability. The new owners’ commitment to offering high-quality shrimp raised under these strict standards was obvious. And they talked with pride about their clear and measureable plan for expansion in the areas of pond space, production capabilities, and value-added products.

Keeping Our Cool

This was my first trip to Central America, and I was amazed by a few things. First and foremost: it was hotter with more humidity than I had ever experienced. Consequently, out of respect for the product and the employees, the farm frequently harvests in the very early morning hours when it’s cooler. The shrimp are immediately plunged into slush ice; within 30 minutes of being removed from the inland ponds, the shrimp are in the refrigerated facility for processing.

Family Affair

Approximately 80 people live on the farm in individual houses, including children of employees; school buses come to the farm each day homework writers, and other buses travel from town to town to transport employees to and from work – at no charge. And the company provides free lunch to all its employees (about 300) every day – if longer hours are necessary, it also provides dinner at no charge.

Overcoming Challenges

I asked the manager what keeps him up at night. What are the challenges facing a Belizian shrimp farm look here http://samedayessays.org/assignments-online/? Predators like ‘gators getting into the ponds, the fear of EMS (Early Mortality Syndrome affecting some Asian shrimp farms), and Mother Nature ranked high on his list.

Now Two Tasty Choices

When we brought Shrimp from Belize back into our stores just over a year ago, BAL was concentrating on EZ Peel, 31-40 (that’s the number of shrimp/pound) shrimp for our service case. Now, since BAL has added additional equipment and production lines, we’re offering a new FROZEN product in 1 pound bags – 36-40 Peeled & Deveined Shrimp. Just in time for upcoming holiday celebrations.

Sustainability is a complicated topic, and when we talk about Sustainability at Wegmans, we say “Today, Tomorrow, Together.” Working with responsible partners like BAL makes the “together” part of that statement a bit easier.

Jeanne Colleluori
Communications & Media Specialist
Incredible Service Since 1998