Today is World Food Day and Thai Union Group PCL. is urging food companies worldwide to continue working together to build more sustainable food chains as part of broader efforts to tackle world hunger.
Thai Union has increased its own support for communities where it operates during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist both them and health workers tackling the virus, said Thiraphong Chansiri, Thai Union President and CEO.
World Food Day is an initiative by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation designed to help achieve Zero Hunger.
“Now, more than ever, companies like Thai Union are supporting people in need as COVID-19 continues to create economic disruption and challenges around the world,” Chansiri said. “At the same time, food companies need to address the future of food to ensure that supplies remain sustainable. Thai Union is doing this by not only making sure our supply chains are robust and transparent, but also by exploring new innovations such as alternative proteins so that we can continue to deliver healthy and nutritious food to consumers all around the world.”
Under SeaChange®, Thai Union’s global sustainability strategy, the Company has set milestones that aim to deliver against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), including SDG 2 - Zero Hunger. Chansiri noted that Thai Union has long supported local communities and this year the Company and its global brands have provided donations for those affected by COVID-19. These include:
- SEALECT donating 80,000 cans of mackerel to the SATI Foundation, which helps provide healthcare and education in underserved areas of Thailand
- Delivering 42,000 cups of ready-to-eat Tuna Infusions to the Thai Red Cross for medical and related teams at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn Hospital, who care for COVID-19 patients
- Providing more than 10,000 cans of SEALECT sardines for the mobile kitchen of the Thai Red Cross for those impacted by COVID-19.
- Donating 48,000 packs of SEALECT tuna spread, 25,000 cans of SEALECT tuna and sardines, and 8,000 packs of FISHO fish snacks to the Ministry of Public Health in Thailand to support hospitals and related support units which dealing with COVID-19
- Donating 20,000 cans of SEALECT sardines to the Thai Ministry of Social Development and Human Society for distribution to underprivileged people affected by COVID-19
- Qfresh donating 500 sets of ready-to-eat meals to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute for medical teams, and providing 400 kilograms of frozen seabass to Chef Hug to be used in meals for Bangkok communities affected by COVID-19
- Chicken of the Sea donating more than 2 million servings of protein throughout North America
- Thai Union China donating more than 52,000 cans of King Oscar tuna to the city of Wuhan, which was heavily impacted by COVID-19
- In France, Petit Navire donated 75,000 cans of tuna, mackerel and sardines to Secours Populaire Francais, which helps fight poverty
- John West UK donated 2,500 cases of steam pots to the National Health Service
- MerAlliance and Petit Navire donated 24,000 FFP2 masks, 38,000 aprons and 5,000 hygiene caps to hospitals in Quimper, France
- John West Holland donated 1,000 cans of products to the Utrecht Food Bank
“Sustainability is central to everything we at Thai Union do and, through SeaChange®, we have worked incredibly hard to develop a more sustainable business and to drive positive change across the entire seafood industry,” Chansiri said. “I would encourage other food companies around the world to continue focusing on sustainable supply chains so that, together, we can create a future where food is more sustainable for generations to come.”