Sobeys shoppers can trace halibut straight to the sea

During halibut season, Sobeys customers will be able to know extensive information on where their fish came from.

Pasco Seafood’s Coastal Waters trace code provides information to customers on who caught their fish, where and how via www.thisfish.ca.

Customers can also see a map showing where the boat fished on the site.

“We started it around mid-March to coincide with the start of the halibut season,” said Mike Lupien, director, communications, Sobeys West. “Our halibut supplier in Vancouver brought this tool to us and we tried it to see what customers thought of it.”

Sobeys stores in Ontario and the West are trying the tool now and customers seem to like it.

“There have been several thousand visits to the thisfish.ca website since we introduced the program,” said Lupien.

The ability for consumers to trace their foods to the source has been an increasingly popular marketing tool among both retailers and manufacturers.