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Responsibly Sourced Seafood

Making a difference

Wegmans seafood employee holding a fish

Responsibly Sourced Seafood

Making a difference

We believe our commitment to bring our customers the very best is a never-ending journey. Part of that journey leads us to focus our efforts on a responsibly sourced seafood supply. We are proud of our seafood, and we want our people and our customers to know about it.

From the fresh seafood counter and the Sushi department, to the Wegmans brand products in the freezer case and the canned tuna in the grocery aisle, we partner only with trusted suppliers who meet our high standards and share our value for making a difference. We require them to follow best practices to help protect natural resources. Our merchants personally visit supplier facilities, and rely on codes of practice and third-party audits to implement and verify our rigorous specifications. These steps help us support fishermen, their families, and their communities while offering affordable seafood of the highest quality to our customers.

Wegmans seafood employee holding a fish

Wild-caught Seafood

Our wild-caught seafood suppliers must meet Wegmans’ high standards to source seafood that is caught responsibly and helps prevent depletion and/or destruction of natural resources. 

Our best practices:

  • Meet all regulatory and licensing quotas and record catches accordingly
  • Source from fisheries that meet GFSI, GSSI and SSCI benchmarks, or have a Wegmans-approved Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) in place
  • Continually work to harvest with minimal impact on the environment
  • Gear chosen to reduce bycatch
  • Third-party audits of food safety regulations and Wegmans best practices
  • All domestic wild fish fall under the National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Sustainable Fisheries quota system
  • Support fishing communities and their local economies
  • Meet all local work regulations and safety laws
  • Fish fully traceable back to source through a GDST-compliant reporting program
  • No bisulfites or sodium tripolyphosphates used in processing
fishing boat

Responsibly sourced verifications for wild-caught seafood at Wegmans

Atlantic Halibut (Canada) Marine Stewardship Council

Bay Scallops (Nantucket and Long Island Sound) Country Conservation & Quota Systems

Chilean Sea Bass (Falkland Islands and Australia) Marine Stewardship Council

Cod (N. Atlantic Fishery) Country Conservation & Quota Systems

Coho Salmon (Alaska) Marine Stewardship Council or Responsible Fisheries Management

Flatfish – flounder, sole, etc (N. Atlantic Fishery) Country Conservation & Quota Systems

Flatfish – flounder, sole, etc (N. Pacific Fishery) Marine Stewardship Council

Haddock and Cod (Iceland) Responsible Fisheries Management & Marine Stewardship Council

Haddock (N. Atlantic Fishery) Marine Stewardship Council

Haddock, Frozen Family Pack (Barents Sea) Marine Stewardship Council

King Crab (Alaska) Responsible Fisheries Management

King Crab (Russia) In MSC pre-assessment May 1, 2017

King Salmon (Alaska) Marine Stewardship Council or Responsible Fisheries Management

Live Maine Lobster and Tails (US and Canada) Marine Stewardship Council

Lobster Tails (Western Australia) Marine Stewardship Council

Louisiana Blue Crab Marine Stewardship Council

Orange Roughy (New Zealand) Marine Stewardship Council

Pacific Cod (Alaska) Marine Stewardship Council or Responsible Fisheries Management

Pacific Halibut (Alaska) Marine Stewardship Council

Patagonian Sea Scallops (Argentina) Marine Stewardship Council

Pole and Line Western Pacific Albacore Tuna (canned) Marine Stewardship Council

Pole and Line Western/Central Pacific Yellowfin Tuna (canned) Marine Stewardship Council

Pollock (Alaska) Marine Stewardship Council

Sea Scallops (N. Atlantic Fishery) Marine Stewardship Council

Snow Crab Clusters (E. Canada) Marine Stewardship Council

Sockeye Salmon (Alaska) Marine Stewardship Council or Responsible Fisheries Management

Swordfish (U.S. and Canada Northwest Atlantic Fishery) Marine Stewardship Council

Some fisheries have no management programs. Wegmans has made a decision to not offer the following species for this reason:

  • Black Tip and Por Beagle Shark
  • All species of Marlin
  • Blue Fin Tuna (unless farm raised)
  • Orange Roughy (unless MSC-certified)
  • Wild Sturgeon
  • Domestic Atlantic Cod and Pacific Cod (bottom trawler caught)

When no management program exists, Wegmans strongly encourages adoption of a program and/or participation in a Fishery Improvement Project and will consider withdrawing product from our stores until one or both of those steps are in place. Additionally, Wegmans will not sell any seafood products sourced directly from the Ross Sea due to unresolved concerns over the fisheries, and Wegmans believes a no-take Marine Reserve would benefit this area.

Learn more information about U.S. Seafood.

Farm-raised Seafood

In an effort to offer high-quality seafood that is more affordable, Wegmans turns to the science of aquaculture. We encourage suppliers to adopt farming standards that reduce the negative impacts on local wildlife and ecosystems and minimize or eliminate the use of wild fish in the feed, pesticides, and antibiotics. When appropriate, we work with organizations such as the Global Aquaculture Alliance (GAA) and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) that specialize in understanding the challenges surrounding farm-raised seafood.

Cermaq Canada farm

Our best practices for farm-raised seafood:

  • Third-party audits of food safety regulations and Wegmans best practices
  • Support local economies
  • Meet all local work regulations and safety laws
  • Fish fully traceable back to source through Trace Register
  • No added hormones, bisulfites, or sodium tripolyphosphates

Additional best practices for farm-raised salmon:

  • Less than 3% escapement with improvement goal of zero escape
  • One pound of wild fish used in feed to grow one pound of farmed fish, with goals to improve
  • After each harvest, areas under salmon pens are checked for effects from feed/fish waste. As needed, pens are left fallow and new pens are stocked
  • Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels at 0.030 parts per million or less (FDA accepts 2 parts per million), measured by test results prior to every harvest

Responsibly sourced verifications for farm-raised seafood at Wegmans

Canadian Organic Mussels (Canada) Global Aquaculture Alliance (one star)

Catfish (United States) Global Aquaculture Alliance (one star)

E.U. Organic Salmon (Norway, Ireland, Scotland) GlobalG.A.P.

E.U. Organic Shrimp (Ecuador) Global Aquaculture Alliance (four star)

Fresh Salmon (Canada) Global Aquaculture Alliance (four star)

Fresh Tilapia (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador) Global Aquaculture Alliance (two star)

Frozen Salmon (Chile) GlobalG.A.P. and Global Aquaculture Alliance (four star)

Frozen Salmon (New Zealand) Global Aquaculture Alliance (two star)

Frozen Shrimp (Belize) Global Aquaculture Alliance (four star)

Frozen Shrimp (Thailand) Global Aquaculture Alliance (four star)

Frozen Shrimp (Vietnam) Global Aquaculture Alliance (four star)

Frozen Swai (Vietnam) Global Aquaculture Alliance (two star)

Frozen Tilapia (Hainan Island and Malaysia) Aquaculture Stewardship Council

Have more questions? View our farm-raised seafood FAQs