FreshDirect First Online Retailer To Offer Certified Sustainable Seafood

NEW YORK, March 29 /PRNewswire/ — FreshDirect, one of the nation’s leading online fresh food grocers and delivery services, is proud to join the distinguished fisheries, distributors, vendors and restaurants now recognized as supplying Alaska Salmon, Pacific Halibut and Pacific Sablefish, certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). FreshDirect is the first U.S. online retailer to offer certified sustainable seafood.

Using the MSC’s exhaustive criteria, third-party auditors verified* that FreshDirect is a strong link in the MSC’s certified “Chain of Custody,” which indicates FreshDirect’s business practices guarantee sustainable seafood authenticity. From certified sustainable fisheries to certified boats, certified vendors and a certified processing room, nothing interrupts the high level of responsibility expected for seafood that carries the MSC certified eco-label.

“Seafood lovers and industry leaders are increasingly aware of how important sustainable fishing practices are to ensuring the future of ocean ecosystems,” said Steve Michaelson, President and CEO of FreshDirect. “Recognizing and supporting well-managed, responsible fisheries provides global benefits, and we believe that FreshDirect’s relationship with the MSC helps to ensure robust seafood populations.”

FreshDirect’s certified sustainable fish includes Pacific Halibut, Alaskan Coho Salmon, Alaskan King Salmon, Alaskan Sockeye Salmon, and Pacific Sablefish. In addition to the current six certified fish offered, FreshDirect plans to add additional varieties to its sustainable lineup in the near future.

Founded in 1997, the MSC is an independent, global, non-profit organization that worked for two years to develop its Principles and Criteria for Sustainable Fishing, which outlines environmental and production standards for sustainable, well managed fisheries. A full description of these principles is available at http://www.msc.org/html/content_504.htm.

   MSC guiding principles include:    * The maintenance and re-establishment of healthy populations of targeted     species    * The maintenance of marine ecosystem integrity    * Development and maintenance of effective fishery management systems,     taking into account biological, technological, economic, social,     environmental and commercial considerations    * Compliance with relevant local and national and standards and     international understandings and agreements   

“Responsible and sustainable fishing is gaining awareness among consumers,” Philip Fitzpatrick, Commercial Director of the Marine Stewardship Council, said. “We’re pleased that FreshDirect is adding to that awareness by carrying certified sustainable fish. With more and more consumers asking about the sustainability of their seafood, FreshDirect is helping to ensure a stable future for our fish supplies, the fishing industry and the oceans.”

*As of 3/16/2007 FreshDirect’s Chain of Custody number is TVI-C-07009. This certification expires 3/15/2010.

About FreshDirect

Founded in 1999, FreshDirect is one of the nation’s leading online meals and fresh food manufacturing and delivery services. FreshDirect is setting a new standard for fresh food production and distribution by offering unparalleled quality, product customization, and value pricing from its state-of-the-art kitchen facility in Long Island City. The company is expanding rapidly and currently serves most of Manhattan and locations in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, as well as parts of New Jersey, Westchester, and Nassau County. The company’s vision is to change consumers’ lives by providing the ultimate shopping experience for impossibly fresh food and meal solutions. The company currently has over 250,000 customers and has fulfilled nearly 5 million orders since opening for business in September 2002. Additional information can be found at http://www.freshdirect.com/.

About MSC

The MSC is an international non-profit organisation that was set up in 1997 to promote solutions to the problem of overfishing. It runs the only environmental certification and eco-labeling scheme that is fully consistent with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) ‘Guidelines for the Eco-labeling of Fish and Fishery Products from Marine Capture Fisheries’. To date, 22 fisheries worldwide are certified to the MSC standard. In total, over 50 fisheries are engaged in the MSC programme. Together they record annual catches of over 3.5 million tonnes of seafood. They represent: 42 percent of the world’s wild salmon catch, 32 percent of the world’s prime whitefish catch, and 18 percent of the world’s lobster catches for human consumption. Details on the fisheries and up to date lists of MSC-labeled products are available on http://www.msc.org/.

FreshDirect

CONTACT: Samantha Freeman, of MWW Group for FreshDirect,+1-212-827-3761, sfreeman@mww.com

Web site: http://www.msc.org/