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Media
Contact:
Stacey
Viera
(703) 752-8891
NFI
Announces Formation of Better Seafood Bureau
WASHINGTON – July.5, 2007– The National Fisheries Institute (NFI) announced today the
formation of the Better Seafood Bureau(BSB),
an independent body formed to establish accountability among NFI
members for economic integrity guidelines established by the
organization and highlight those members upholding high standards for
business operations. This is the final step in the
implementation of NFI’s Economic Integrity Initiative.
“Integrity
in seafood retailing is a top priority for NFI members.
Our Board voted overwhelmingly to adopt an Economic Integrity
Initiative to help the industry demonstrate its commitment to the
highest principles of conduct,” said NFI President John Connelly.
“As part of their 2007 dues renewal with NFI, senior company
officers signed commitment forms pledging that their products are not
transshipped to avoid duties, mislabeled for species or mislabeled for
weight
or counts. The formation
of the BSB will help ensure that these principles are enforced.”
The
BSB is a corporate entity separate from NFI consisting of a Board of
Managers (see full listing below) who will address policy questions
and offer strategic oversight. The
Board consists of representatives from various sectors of the seafood
community and other seafood experts who will adopt policies,
practices, and procedures to which NFI members must adhere.
The BSB Board will meet about four times annually, often in
conjunction with other NFI meetings and on an ad hoc basis as
necessary. NFI staff John
Connelly and Lisa Weddig will serve as administrative officers for the
BSB, the former as President and Treasurer and the latter as
Secretary.
NFI
is committed to providing members with all of the information
necessary to adhere to
U.S.
seafood regulations. As
part of membership, NFI will provide online access to Urner Barry’s
“A Practical Guide to the Regulation of Seafood in the United
States,” also known as the “Red Book.”
The
BSB will retain a call center to accept comments from buyers in the
seafood value chain about any unresolved concerns regarding
transshipment and mislabeling of seafood. The call center will confirm
that the caller attempted to resolve the matter directly with the NFI
member involved prior to accepting the comment. For calls passing
these criteria, the BSB will examine the comment and determine when a
situation with a particular company requires further investigation. Companies
with three unresolved customer complaints will be required to go
through a third party audit of their processes.
The BSB will begin receiving calls in August 2007; the phone
number for the BSB call center will be released to members at that
time.
NFI
will also work closely with seafood customer organizations such as
those at the restaurant and retail level to ensure they understand the
initiative’s benefits. As consumers eat more and more seafood for
its tremendous health benefits, the seafood industry has a duty and
responsibility to ensure that we are providing consumers the highest
quality products for the best value.
For more than 60 years, the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) and its
members have provided American families with the variety of
sustainable seafood essential to a healthy diet. For more information
visit www.AboutSeafood.com.
Better
Seafood Bureau Board of Managers
·
Bruce
Beagle, Vice President, Amende & Shultz Inc.
·
Butch
Bialik, President, American Fish & Seafood Inc.
·
Joseph
Bundrant, Vice President, Trident Seafoods Corp.
·
Austin
Docter, Plant Manager, Taylor Shellfish Company Inc.
·
William
Dresser, President, Sea Port Products Corp.
·
Lynn
Girourd, President, Morey's Seafood Int'l LLC
·
Travis
Larkin, Vice President, Seafood Exchange of Florida, Inc.
·
Mark
Leslie, Executive Vice President, Fishery Products Int'l.
·
Russell
Mentzer, President & COO, King & Prince Seafood
Corp.
·
Steve
Otwell, Professor,
University
of
Florida
·
Dave
Pearce, President, Tampa Maid Foods Inc.
·
Craig
Urness, Counsel, Pacific Seafood Group
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