METRO Fish and Seafood Procurement Policy

METRO takes seriously the quality and origin of its own brands products. Certification and indicating the place of catch of fish or seafood on the package are not mandatory in our country. As METRO strives for extended responsibility in the area of rational natural resource management, a number of regulations regarding fish products have been developed.

METRO approach to the fish resource exploitation

METRO on the global level has adopted an expanded approach to fish resource management. For example, there have been identified 12 key fish/seafood species for which increased requirements apply: originating from certified sources, using sustainable harvesting methods. Maintaining compliance with the requirements of standards for responsible use of resources allows, in the long term, to provide fish resources for future generations and reduce the negative impact on the environment

Certification standards

In Russia, the catch of fish and seafood is regulated by law. The catch of wild fish is carried out according to established quotas and is monitored at the state level. In 2012 METRO has introduced expanded requirements for information on the labels of own brands, such as the Latin name of the fish species, the area caught, the fishing method used. For products grown under artificial conditions, it is indicated that this is an aquaculture product.

International certification of fish resources is mainly developed for supplying goods for export, which requires the products to be from certified sources. For the domestic market of the Russian Federation, the availability of certified raw materials, unfortunately, is limited.

In international practice, the following certification standards are used for fish products: for wild fish - MSC (Marine Stewardship Council), FOS (Friend of the Sea), for aquaculture - ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council), BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices), GLOBAL G.A.P. (Good Agricultural Practice) and others.

METRO Russia assortment includes own brands products from certified sources. At the moment, following products are certified: Frozen trout METRO Chef according to Global G.A.P.; METRO Chef shrimp, peeled and unpeeled in various sizes according to BAP.

METRO's contribution to the product quality assurance

METRO tasting laboratory

All own brands products are not only tested in terms of quality, the company’s employees also evaluate the taste characteristics of products in a special tasting laboratory. METRO Chef products are also tested by leading Russian chefs, as our They are created by experts for chefs.

Own Brands

METRO works directly with the manufacturers while developing own brand products. The company independently forms requirements for product quality, composition, and packaging. Thus, there was made a decision to reduce sugar and salt in own brand products, and eggs from cage-free chickens were added to the assortment.

Quality control of METRO fish products

Before products reach the shelves of METRO stores, they are being delivered from the supplier to the distribution center, then there is the process of acceptance and quality control, after witch single batches are formed and shipped to the stores. Let’s have a look at how the Fish acceptance platform works in the distribution center.

Quality management system in METRO

METRO has developed a quality and food safety management system that covers the entire supply chain: from interaction with manufacturers and suppliers to the selling process and interaction with customers. Such approach guarantees safety of food products, and therefore the health of the customers.