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**When Your Tuna Gets a Certification Badge**

2h ago · 5 sources · trend

Sustainability just went from side project to center aisle.

Chicken of the Sea says its entire tuna portfolio is now certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, a first for a major US seafood brand. That push ladders up to parent company Thai Union’s SeaChange 2030 initiative, backed by about $200 million through 2030. Thai Union says fisheries certified under its efforts now represent about 10% of global tuna catches.

Zoom out and the timing makes sense. Sustainability marketed products now account for 25.4% of US CPG dollar share, up 1.6% year over year, according to Circana. Regenerative agriculture is moving in parallel. The Rodale Institute helped launch Regenerative Organic Certification in 2017, and more than 22 million acres worldwide have met the standard since. Today, 68 of the top 100 food companies claim to have a regenerative agriculture strategy.

Brands are turning pledges into supply chain math. Häagen-Dazs sources from around 300 farms near its Arras site and, with General Mills, has brought together 48 farms in France as part of a decarbonisation program. Early results show a 12% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions versus the wider cooperative. Kellanova and Walmart are working with Indigo Ag to push regenerative rice in Arkansas, with farmers paid a premium.

Why it matters. Certification is becoming table stakes. The real edge will come from who can scale it across entire portfolios and prove impact with numbers, not slogans. The brands that treat sustainability like procurement, not PR, are the ones building long term shelf power.

Key facts

  • Chicken of the Sea says its entire tuna portfolio is now certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, marking a first for a major US seafood brand.
  • Chicken of the Sea’s MSC accreditation traces back to parent company Thai Union’s SeaChange 2030 initiative, backed by roughly $200 million through 2030.
  • Thai Union says fisheries certified under its efforts now represent about 10% of global tuna catches.
  • Sustainability-marketed products in the US have reached 25.4% of CPG dollar share, up 1.6% year over year, according to Circana.
  • Rodale Institute helped launch the Regenerative Organic Certification in 2017 to provide guidelines for regenerative farming practices.
  • More than 22 million acres worldwide have met Regenerative Organic Certification standards since the program launched.
  • Today, 68 of the world’s top 100 food companies purport to have a regenerative agriculture strategy, according to Rodale Institute CEO Jeff Tkach.
  • Häagen-Dazs sources milk and cream from around 300 farms near its Arras site and is working with dairy cooperative Prospérité Fermière Ingredia on regenerative agriculture and decarbonisation programmes.
  • General Mills has brought together 48 local farms as part of its decarbonisation programme supporting Häagen-Dazs’ supply chain in France.
  • Early results from Häagen-Dazs’ decarbonisation programme show a 12% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with the wider cooperative.
  • Indigo Ag works with manufacturers and rice farmers on Scope 3 reduction programs that encourage regenerative practices like alternate wetting and drying, with farmers receiving a premium for their grain.
  • Kellanova and Walmart recently partnered with Indigo Ag to encourage adoption of regenerative agriculture practices by rice farmers in Arkansas.
  • $200 million
  • 10%
  • 25.4%
  • 1.6%
  • 22 million acres
  • 68 of the top 100
  • 300 farms
  • 48 farms

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