Icewater Seafoods, based at Arnold’s Cove in Newfoundland and a member of the Offshore Fishery Association, has been a leader for decades in eliminating food waste.
The company sells 99.8% of the product it buys in some form. When cod is bought from a local fish harvester, only a small portion of that fish can be sold as cod fillets. The company produces various products in order to find uses and markets for as much of the fish as possible.
Cod loins, portions and tails are sold primarily into European markets that demand high quality, sustainable seafood, while cod tongues and cheeks are removed from the head. They’re sold primarily in the Canadian market and are also very popular among locals who stop by the plant to buy cod – although the Covid-19 has currently put and end to customers coming direct to the plant.
The remainder of the cod is sold for various purposes, from fish sticks / fish fingers to the leather and pharmaceutical industry. Some is even sold to the pet food and mink industry, which has the same high standards as human food, including a rigorous metal detecting process.
Icewater has had impressive utilisation numbers for decades, driven by its values as a company and the tight margins of the cod industry.
‘As a company, we’re proud that we’re able to utilise 99.8% of the cod we buy. It demonstrates our commitment to the environment, to our customers and to our employees,’ explained Alberto Wareham, President and CEO of Icewater Seafoods, which he said is committed to being a good environmental steward, keeping waste out of the ocean. The company’s efforts to find uses for all aspects of the fish not only eliminates food waste, but it means that waste is not directed back to the ocean.
In addition to the environmental impact of food waste, there is an important financial impact. In many ways, reducing food waste has been key to Icewater’s ability to continue its operations with a year-round focus on only cod, despite ups and downs in the cod industry.
Finding ways to service the pet food and pharmaceutical industries improves the viability of the Arnold’s Cove plant, helping to keep its 215 staff working nearly year-round. It allows the company to pay its workers more than many plants, currently $17.09/hour for unionised workers, plus health benefits that includes life insurance.
This commitment to the town and people of Arnold’s Cove is the foundation of which the company was formed when the Wareham family decided to officially take over the operation 15 years ago.
