More and more supermarkets are joining in having a public commitment to sourcing sustainable fish and seafood. Some include it in their shopping guides. However, there are obstacles on the part of the purchasing areas for this to materialize, according to Álvaro de Tomás, secretary of the Mexican Council for the Promotion of Fishery and Aquaculture Products (Comeesca).
In an interview with Causa Natura Media, de Tomás shared the challenges that arise in the relationship between suppliers and the fish and seafood shopping areas of supermarkets so that sustainable and responsible products reach the shelves, and spoke about the role that consumers play in facilitating this process.
This interview has been edited for synthesis and clarity.
— What is the relationship between suppliers and purchasing areas?
Sadly, the purchasing area tends to have a lot of flaws in any company and that's why companies often rotate their employees between departments.
But also, for this type of situation to occur, both parties are needed: the buyer and the supplier. So, making it happen isn't that easy either. For example, I faced supermarket buyers who never let me in because I didn't lend myself to those vices; until the buyer changed, that's when I was able to enter [to sell to certain spaces]. So it's part of the supplier not to enter into these malpractices.
On the other hand, because of the rotation, you may be touched by a person who was on the subject of wines and spirits or in clothes and is now in perishables. Then it gets complicated, because then, when you're already convincing him, it turns out that they change his area.
— What conditions exist in shopping areas that make it difficult to buy sustainable fish and seafood?
A buyer is an employee assigned to the purchasing area of the different departments of a supermarket, and is evaluated based on certain Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which are metrics that companies use to measure their progress towards certain objectives. A KPI may be that has the best price in the market, that has a correct rate of return, that it has a correct turnover, that it is productive, that it purchases fish and seafood responsibly -that the product complies with restrictions, that it has fishing guides, inventory records, etc .-, but that doesn't mean that it's sustainable.
— What profile should a buyer have to promote sustainable consumption of fish and seafood?
Buyer profiles are often not ideal, but which one is the right one? I don't know, because finally we have to understand that the company will always look for a utility that allows it to grow. I think it's important, but it's even more important, reaching the masses is the key, because if not, unfortunately, we focus on a high [consumer] profile that is tiny, but we must focus on the bulk of the population, that's the objective.
— What are the main barriers for supermarkets to buy sustainable seafood?
Sustainable products can be very expensive because certifications are expensive. And if, as a supermarket, you don't have the sales to hold these types of certifications, it can become very onerous and that's when they can give up on that type of activity.
The big problem with self-service is that they often don't understand when there isn't a certain product available. And then there are issues of rate of return, which is a key indicator in logistics and supply chain management that measures a company's efficiency in meeting customer demand with its available inventory, and the penalties for not meeting a delivery percentage begin. Then it becomes a complicated topic to get into.
The best thing can be to have a fish, either aquaculture or fishing, with a certain type of certification, at a very affordable price, that is available all year round, and unfortunately, out of a range of 500 species, it is reduced to about 10 species that meet these characteristics.
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