What do H-E-B and a couple of celebrity chefs have in common? A commitment to sustainable seafood.
Building upon the retailer’s longtime commitment to provide responsibly sourced seafood, H-E-B launched some special events with chefs Andrew Zimmern and Barton Seaver to promote awareness around seafood sustainability practices as well as the co-authors’ new cookbook, “The Blue Food Cookbook.” With an industry-leading seafood program, H-E-B also recently partnered with sustainable seafood-industry consultancy Fishwise to help strengthen the company’s seafood standards.
Cook Book Tour
Released in October, “The Blue Food Cookbook” brings together Zimmern, an Emmy-winning and four-time James Beard Award-winning TV personality, and Seaver, leading sustainable seafood expert, renowned chef, author, and TV personality. Inspired by flavors from the pair’s travel around the world, restaurant experience, and their home kitchens, the cookbook is a guide to cooking delicious food from oceans and waterways in a sustainable way.
In partnership with the celebrity authors, H-E-B recently hosted talks and tasting events with the chefs at select Central Market stores in Houston and Austin. Additionally, H-E-B is selling the cookbook at more than 200 H-E-B stores across the state, while supplies last, and recently held book signings, sample stations, and food demonstrations for customers at the newly opened Jordan Ranch H-E-B in west Houston on Nov. 11 and the Lake Austin H-E-B on Nov. 12.
“H-E-B is honored to work alongside chefs Andrew and Barton, two esteemed voices in the culinary world who share our commitment to seafood sustainability,” said Jason Driskill, H-E-B Vice President of Seafood. “This collaboration allows us to share creative ways to prepare nutritious recipes while amplifying the importance of responsibly sourced seafood that preserves our environment.”
H-E-B’s seafood sustainability efforts
The San Antonio-based retailer, which joined forces with Fishwise, an organization focused on seafood sustainability issues, has strengthened its commitment to create an industry-leading sustainability program dedicated to sourcing top-quality, certified seafood from socially and environmentally responsible fisheries and farms.
This renewed commitment draws from the organization’s expertise and the San Antonio-based retailer’s longstanding efforts to regularly improve sourcing standards and transparency in the supply chain for all fresh, frozen, prepared and shelf-stable seafood sold at its stores. With an already robust sustainability program in place, this most recent policy update enhances efforts to better source certified wild-caught and farmed seafood; expand traceability systems for all seafood products; protect oceans and waterways and the long-term health of species populations and ecosystems; combat human rights abuses and support workers’ rights; and promote environmental and ethical integrity within its canned tuna supply.
Sourcing locally from the thriving seafood ecosystem in its backyard, H-E-B is the largest retail buyer of Gulf seafood in Texas, upholding its commitment to support fishing communities throughout the Lone Star State. The company’s seafood sustainability efforts are a part of H-E-B’s Our Texas, Our Future commitment, which is the company’s mission to increase awareness and education around sustainability efforts that help preserve land, water, and air in Texas. More information about H-E-B’s sustainable seafood policies can be found at the Our Texas, Our Future website.
For seafood to remain a viable food option, improving the health of our oceans is paramount. Operating an environmentally conscious company, H-E-B has an abundance of sustainability practices to reduce waste. Last year, H-E-B diverted more than 638 million pounds of waste through recycling materials such as cardboard, paper, food, and truck tires. This includes more than 20 million pounds of plastic collected from store operations and customers at recycling bins placed in stores, an effort the retailer continues to expand. A more detailed look at H-E-B’s waste-diversion practices can be found here.
As the largest independently owned retailer in Texas, H-E-B will continue using its voice as a large seafood buyer and environmental steward to influence change across the industry. Seafood sustainability is a top priority for the company, and H-E-B pledges to regularly update and enhance its policies with help from organizations such as Fishwise, which strategically advise the retailer in its efforts to support and uphold some of the industry’s highest standards.
