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truck can actually see the product in its natural state and say, ‘This shouldn’t make it out of the store tomorrow,’ so that was an unexpected benefit we stumbled upon,” says Auria.
At the same time, just turning off unneces- sary lights proved quite impactful. “A test at one of our stores where we started turning off lights until our customers said it was too dark – 490 light bulbs in all -- was estimated to save enough energy to power 23 homes for one year,” says Wadsworth.
CHILL OUT
Reducing refrigerant leaks is critical for
Wegmans because of its focus on perishable foods and the need for extensive refrigeration in its stores. “Produce is very sensitive to temperature changes, and the cases are open, so it’s a really good place to test secondary refrigerant loop technology,” says Duquette. Wegmans was awarded an EPA GreenChill gold cer tification for its progressive refrig- erant management system. GreenChill is an EPA partnership with food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change.
“We are probably in the minority of super- market chains that actually can say we keep
track of all the refrigeration we use,” says Duquette. “Most stores are too large to track, but we’ve been monitoring stores since 2009, which is a big plus in figuring out how to reduce leaks and also to design systems to use less refrigeration.”
“It’s difficult if not impossible for a refrig- eration system not to leak in its first year, and the older the system the more likely it leaks, and there are two distinct negative aspects; one, it costs money because refrigerant is very expensive, and two, we all know leaking refrig- erant into the atmosphere is not good; it’s a greenhouse gas and can cause ozone deple-
Seafood Lessons For Produce
BY MIRA SLOTT
Carl Salamone, Wegmans’ vice president seafood, knows of sustain- ability, since he’s been at Wegmans for 47 years, and opened up the first fish depart- ment in 1974. “Back then, we thought fisheries were everlasting and sustainability wasn’t an issue,” he says, remembering pivotal conversa- tions with Danny Wegman when the tides started changing in the late 80s and early 90s.
“More and more east coast fisheries were closing, and Danny went back to all our suppliers to see what we could do.” Certain areas banned fishing for scallops and for the first time there were more farmed fish than wild, he explains.
In 2004, the Environmental Defense Fund developed standards, particularly for salmon and shrimp. Wegmans challenged itself to take the lead in setting the highest standards for the industry, according to Salamone, adding, “Sustainability is not a marketing tool for Wegmans. We always share our findings with other retailers.”
There’s a large expense to implement many of these sustainable measures, which also can be extremely taxing and complex, according to Salamone. Wegmans has been able to over- come these challenges by establishing unique supplier partnerships, sometimes obscure and involving resourceful networking. For instance, “In Honduras, I was given the name of a family in Belize with a shrimp farm, and we formed a partnership that was a marriage made in heaven. The father had the idea for the busi- ness and the son is now stewarding the program,” he explains.
“It was like Bob Wegman and Danny Wegman in small scale. It became our model,” he says. “We brought in tough standards to
suppliers of Atlantic salmon,” noting that six people run the whole operation for Wegmans’ salmon farm in Ireland.
As Salamone has talked to suppliers to insti- gate EU standards, his hope is that EU standards will be regulated around the world, says Jeanne Colleluori, communications and media specialist, who also has been actively involved in Wegmans’ seafood sustainability measures, noting that FDA has approved GMO salmon and it doesn’t have to be on the label.
Wegmans is keen on educating its customers and sharing the stories behind its seafood sustainability ventures. When Wegmans introduced its Belize shrimp, now 17 percent of its shrimp sales, it did a lot of sampling and explained to customers why this is a premium product. “When customers hear the story, there is a segment of the population that is willing to pay the higher price it demands,” she says.
A few years ago, tragedy struck the family of the Belize shrimp farm, forcing it to close. “I was heartbroken to learn the father, who had become my friend, was killed in a plane crash,” says Salamone. Mary Ellen Burris, senior vice president, consumer affairs, wrote a blog informing customers of the news, and she received an outpouring of reaction.
When Wegmans was able to reopen the operation, customers welcomed the special product back, Salamone explains, noting its unmistakable presence because of the shrimp’s rich pigmented shell, caused by the black lining on the tarp used during the more sustainable farming process.
A range of different seafood certifications can create confusion within the industry and at the consumer level, according to Colleluori,
Carl Salamone
adding that not all are created equal or in fact necessary. “Chilean seabass is an endangered species, so we want to guarantee it is MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certified, and Wegmans outlines why on its website, where it lists all certifications for those who are inter- ested. Although we don’t always insist on certifications, we do have best practices that we expect as a baseline. It’s a traceability issue,” says Salamone, adding, part of sustainability is in knowing where product came from, going back to the feed. There are certain species Wegmans won’t carry because there are not enough sustainability standards in place.
“Wegmans joined Sustainable Fisheries Part- nership (SFP) to gain a big overall picture of where we need to improve,” says Salamone. Wegmans had all its suppliers fill out SFP’s elec- tronic questionnaire to help in gathering information on everything being sold at the stores. “The single biggest surprise in talking to the suppliers was that they had similar concerns but didn’t know how to go about fixing them,” he says.
In true Wegmans’ fashion, “We brought in all our suppliers for a group meeting to share ideas. They were not used to sitting next to their competitors,” he says, “but they were enthusiastic to soak in solutions and work together for a greater cause.” pb
52 PRODUCE BUSINESS • MAY 2013