Nomad Foods to increase volumes of responsibly farmed fish from 2023

Company accelerates species diversification programme through new contracts for Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified farmed fish from Vietnam

FELTHAM, England – October 28, 2022 – Nomad Foods, Europe’s leading frozen food company and the world’s largest branded purchaser of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified fish and seafood products, today announced it has signed new contracts to secure supply of ASC-certified farmed pangasius from Vinh Hoan, VDTG and Godaco Seafood, three of the largest ASC-certified suppliers globally, from 2023.

With more than a third of global fish stocks fished at unsustainable levels¹ and wild caught fishing volumes set to decline², the contracts mark a significant milestone in Nomad Foods journey to source 100% of all fish and seafood from sustainable fishing or responsible farming by 2025.

Stéfan Descheemaeker, Chief Executive Officer, Nomad Foods, said: “As the world’s population increases and consumer demand for seafood continues to rise, we are committed to continuing to lead on sourcing sustainably and using our global influence to increase the availability of certified fish. Working with the MSC for over 25 years, we have led the way in protecting wild fish stocks for future generations. We now plan to apply this knowledge to drive higher standards across the aquaculture supply chain, as we grow our existing partnership with the ASC and increase the range of fish species we use for our products.

At the same time, we are progressing a number of partnerships aimed at developing and scaling emerging food technologies, in areas including cell-cultured fish and alternative proteins such as molluscs³, to support wider efforts to safeguard the long-term availability of quality, affordable and great tasting seafood that is healthy for people and sustainable for the planet.”

Ms. Nguyen Ngo Vi Tam, Chief Executive Officer, Vinh Hoan, said: “Vinh Hoan are proud to be a part of Nomad Foods’ supply chain of sustainably sourced ASC certified pangasius into European markets. We have worked hard for many years to develop this healthy source of protein with the highest quality, ensuring it is responsibly processed and from integrated and accredited farms”.

Chris Ninnes, Chief Executive Officer, ASC, said: “We are really pleased with Nomad Foods' increased commitment to support sustainable aquaculture practices by incorporating more ASC-certified farmed fish into their product range. This is an important sign that environmentally sustainable and socially responsible production are key requirements for the aquaculture industry. We look forward to working more closely in the future.”

- ENDS -

 Nomad Foods Media Contacts:

Sam Fulton
Group Director of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability
sam.fulton@nomadfoods.com
+44 7936 924691

Oliver Thomas
Corporate Affairs Manager
oliver.thomas@nomadfoods.com
+44 7568 108744

About Nomad Foods

Nomad Foods (NYSE: NOMD) is Europe’s leading frozen food company. The company's portfolio of iconic brands, which includes Birds Eye, Findus, iglo, Ledo and Frikom, have been a part of consumers' meals for generations, standing for great tasting food that is convenient, high quality and nutritious. Nomad Foods is headquartered in the United Kingdom. Additional information may be found at www.nomadfoods.com.

About Aquaculture Stewardship Council

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation co-founded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) in 2010 to manage the certification of responsible fish farming across the globe.

The ASC standards require farm performance to be measured against both environmental and social requirements. Certification is through an independent third-party process and reports are uploaded to the public ASC website. The on-pack ASC logo guarantees to consumers that the fish they purchase has been farmed with minimal impacts on the environment and on society.

For more information about ASC please visit www.asc-aqua.org

Notes to editors:

 ¹ The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 p.46

 ² World Resources Institute Report. Figure 23-2, p.295

In 2021 Nomad Foods announced its partnership with BlueNalu, to explore the introduction of cell-cultured seafood products in Europe. To find out more, please find the press release here: https://www.nomadfoods.com/news/nomad-foods-and-bluenalu-collaborate-to-introduce-cell-cultured-seafood-in-europe/