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The Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative partners with Where Food Comes From, Inc. to expand opportunities for small-scale shrimp producers in Asia FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 29, 2023 Singapore - The Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative (ASIC) has announced a partnership with US-based Where Food Comes From, Inc. (WFCF) to support small-scale farmers in Asia. As a multi-stakeholder non-profit organization, ASIC has been at the forefront of promoting sustainable seafood production and responsible sourcing practices in Southeast Asia. The organization aims to drive positive change and enhance the environmental, social, and economic performance of the seafood sector in the region through its improvement program. Beyond its robust Environmental Standards, ASIC has also developed the first Social and Gender Standards, marking a significant milestone for the seafood industry as a whole. A key focus for ASIC and WFCF is shrimp production. The vast majority of shrimp consumed globally is farmed in Asia, but at present, only an estimated 5% of shrimp farmers are certified by broadly recognized certification schemes. The lack of inclusive and accessible standards presents a clear opportunity for ASIC and WFCF to collaborate and create meaningful impact. The goal is to see an increasing number of smallholder shrimp producers gain access to verification, demonstrating their shared commitment to responsible sourcing and environmentally-conscious practices. “The partnership with Where Food Comes From represents a significant opportunity for ASIC. With their expertise in supporting small-scale producers in Asia, we anticipate tangible benefits for our region’s seafood industry. This alliance will strengthen our ongoing efforts to drive meaningful change, improve sustainability practices, and bolster the socio-economic well-being of local communities. By leveraging our respective strengths, we can create a more resilient and responsible seafood sector, contributing to long-term success and positive environmental and social outcomes,” says Rosanna Contreras, ASIC Executive Committee Vice-Chair. John Saunders, CEO of Where Food Comes From, adds, “We are excited to partner with ASIC in leading this important initiative to help aquaculture producers improve their production practices and differentiate their products as we have done for many years in other areas of food production,” said John Saunders, chairman and CEO of WFCF. “We recognize the unique role ASIC plays in the shrimp industry and we look forward to adding value to their efforts with certain elements of our CARE standard for the shrimp industry. The addressable market for this initiative is incredibly extensive with potentially tens of thousands of shrimp producers worldwide.” ASIC’s commitment to sustainability of the shrimp industry and empowering local farmers was recently showcased during their Executive Committee meeting in Asia, with the official signing of certificates for the first ASIC-verified farms, accomplished through their work with Indonesian shrimp processor, PT. Alter Trade Indonesia (PT. ATINA) Harry Yuli Susanto, ASIC Executive Committee Chair and Director of PT. ATINA, shares, “I am excited by the prospect of partnering with Where Food Comes From. This partnership enables a unique pathway for small-scale farmers to improve with continued support.Their steadfast commitment to supporting small-scale seafood producers in Asia resonates deeply with our shared dedication to advancing sustainability and empowering local farmers. This collaboration holds immense promise in strengthening our seafood supply chains, nurturing responsible sourcing practices, and fostering the prosperity of our valued farmers.” Corey Peet, Vice President and Co-Founder of Postelsia, adds “As someone who has dedicated years to supporting ASIC and its mission, I am thrilled about this partnership. Where Food Comes From committing to small-scale producers in Asia holds tremendous value for these hardworking individuals who often face significant challenges. This collaboration will not only provide critical support and resources, but it will also contribute to fostering equity within the seafood industry.” Looking ahead, the partnership between ASIC and WFCF shows great potential in building a stronger and more sustainable seafood industry. By offering crucial support to small-scale producers, this collaboration has the power to drive positive change on a global scale. ASIC Project Manager, Trini Pratiwi, emphasizes, “ASIC and WFCF have a shared value and mission. With this partnership, ASIC has extensive support to reach market-wide recognition and technical verification support, which is crucial to extend ASIC support in Southeast Asia and beyond.” ABOUT ASIAN SEAFOOD IMPROVEMENT COLLABORATIVE The Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative is a burgeoning regional collaboration between private sector stakeholders from Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, and the Philippines to tackle social and environmental sustainability challenges facing the industry. ASIC supports Asian stakeholders in becoming agents of their own empowerment and, through collaboration, creates pathways for seafood improvement that account for the social, environmental, and traceability challenges facing the region. ABOUT WHERE FOOD COMES FROM, INC. Where Food Comes From, Inc. is America’s trusted resource for third party verification of food production practices. Through proprietary technology and patented business processes, the Company estimates that it supports more than 17,500 farmers, ranchers, vineyards, wineries, processors, retailers, distributors, trade associations, consumer brands and restaurants with a wide variety of value-added services. Through its IMI Global, Validus Verification Services, SureHarvest, WFCF Organic, and Postelsia divisions, Where Food Comes From services verify food claims, optimize production practices and enable food supply chains with analytics and data driven insights. ### COMPANY CONTACTS Trini Pratiwi Project Manager  Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative +6285843988093 trini@asicollaborative.org Corey Peet Vice President & Co-Founder Postelsia, a division of Where Food Comes From, Inc. +1 236 464 2380 cpeet@postelsia.com Jay Pfeiffer Director, Investor Relations Where Food Comes From, Inc. 303-880-9000 jpfeiffer@wherefoodcomesfrom.com Jennifer Moore Marketing Manager Where Food Comes From, Inc. 303-895-3002 jmoore@wherefoodcomesfrom.com

Stanford University becomes first campus dining organization to earn Smart Catch “Ambassador” certification Sophie Egan & Corey and Laura Peet | Apr 25, 2023 Today, we are pleased to announce that Residential & Dining Enterprises (R&DE) Stanford Dining, Hospitality & Auxiliaries (SDHA) is the first campus dining organization in the country to earn the highest rating from James Beard Foundation’s acclaimed Smart Catch program. Under the program guidelines, Smart Catch Ambassadors demonstrate high performance (their menus consist almost exclusively of approved products) and advocate for seafood sustainability more broadly. This is the first time Smart Catch has seen its program’s high bar for sustainable seafood met by an organization feeding such a large number of people–25,000 meals served per day in Stanford dining halls, and over 100,000 pounds of seafood purchased per year. "We are deeply honored to be recognized as a Smart Catch Ambassador and are committed to using our influence to lead efforts in maintaining healthy and sustainable seafood sources,” said Eric Montell, Assistant Vice Provost for SDHA. “We are honored to participate in such an impactful leadership and advocacy program, and to support valued partners working towards protecting our cherished oceans." The Smart Catch program is run by Postelsia, a company that specializes in evaluating and verifying seafood sustainability for producers and buyers. They are responsible for auditing all participating restaurants; to date, Smart Catch has evaluated over 600 restaurants. For many foodservice professionals, seafood can be challenging. Stanford and Postelsia have decades of experience advancing sustainable seafood. Here, we review the opportunities and challenges and offer ideas for how to incorporate seafood on any operator’s menu as a key solution for ensuring student satisfaction and healthy, sustainable, delicious food choices for all. Top Strategies for Sustainable Seafood First and foremost, we should offer diners more sustainable seafood overall. While there is wide variability, seafood tends to be a nutrient-rich and climate friendly protein choice. 2. The Menus of Change Principle has it right: “Serve More Kinds of Seafood More Often.” Emphasis on the “more kinds.” As an example, at Stanford, we've found that our students love the variety of seafood in our paella recipe. In general, species diversification is sorely needed. In the U.S., the most menued species on restaurant and foodservice menus are shrimp, salmon, tuna, and whitefish, accounting for 77% of total seafood consumed. A missed opportunity considering these are far from the only nutritious and delicious foods from aquatic systems, and in many cases, far from the most sustainable types. 3. Which brings us to: use science-based third-party certifications as helpful shortcuts. For example, Aquaculture Stewardship Council, Marine Stewardship Council, and certification that has been recognized by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative. They’re not a panacea, but they generally are a useful marker of rigorous standards and an outside auditor having verified that those standards are being met. That’s much better than relying solely on the marketing (and sometimes greenwashing) of a seafood company on its own. 4. Follow the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch. Red means “avoid,” yellow means “good alternative,” green means “best choice”--like a stoplight–and the newer rating, blue, means certified by a reputable source. Dining leaders at Stanford have used this framework for years, and now 100% of our seafood is Seafood Watch green, blue, or yellow rated. 5. Choose seafood species that are lower on the food chain. Seafood species that are low on the food chain–such as sardines (a popular dish among Stanford students is our Mediterranean sardine toast), or vegetarian fish like tilapia–tend to be less concerning not only for environmental reasons but also for human health, due to their lack of mercury and other toxins that can bioaccumulate in carnivorous fish like tuna or swordfish. 6. Don’t focus on whether it’s wild vs. farmed. Eating a diversity of wild and farmed species can actually build resilience in communities here in the U.S., as well as abroad. The reality is that any seafood item can be produced really well or really poorly, so it’s more important to find out if producers are using rigorous production practices that minimize negative impacts. 7. Train to maintain. Your seafood standards, that is, by ensuring that every chef, manager, and procurement officer in your operation is up to speed on what your seafood purchasing protocol is. If a product’s sustainability rating changes, what’s the plan? If a product isn’t available, what are your replacement options? And so on. 8. Incorporate frozen seafood. Did you know frozen is the new fresh? Freezing technologies are now so advanced that the best can freeze fish immediately upon harvest, instantly preserving nutritional qualities like omega-3s. Buying frozen fish also eliminates air freighting seafood, which comes with a significant carbon footprint. 9. Give canned seafood another look, due to its long shelf life and the fact that it can integrate more parts of the fish (e.g., bones). In addition, there is a tinned seafood revolution happening with innovative start-ups bringing new energies and ideas to the category. 10. Get creative with offcuts. Using other parts of fish besides filets is a great way to minimize waste. While making your own gelatin from fish scales may be more effort than you’re looking for, give fish cheeks and fin “wings” a try, or make your own fish broth. 11. Support community-supported fisheries and/or aquaculture programs when possible. They might be hard to find, but they do exist (e.g.,International Pole and Line Foundation, Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative). There are ways to support climate-friendly and sustainable seafood solutions from overseas, and by doing so, we help build resilience into every corner of our world. 12. Don’t forget seaweed! It’s hard to go wrong enjoying seaweed in its many different forms. There are boundless ways to incorporate seaweed into your menu–from soups and bowls to smoothies and salads. As you’re implementing these strategies, here is the great news and here are the challenges to keep in mind: The Great News The great news is that certain “blue foods” or “aquatic foods”--“food derived from aquatic animals, plants or algae that are caught or cultivated in freshwater and marine environments,” according to the landmark Blue Foods Assessment (BFA)--are among the most nutritious, sustainable foods on the planet. Specifically, small pelagics (small oily fish like herring, mackerel, anchovies, and sardines), bivalves (shellfish like mussels, clams, oysters, scallops), and seaweeds are runaway winners from BFA’s analysis in terms supporting equitable livelihoods and supporting not only the planet but people. Seafood can provide essential nutrients–including omega-3s, iron, Vitamins B and D, and protein–to support health and wellness at all stages of life. “There are more than 2,500 species of fish, crustaceans, plants, and algae that are produced for food,” said Jim Leape, a fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and Co-Director of the Center for Ocean Solutions, who helped lead the BFA. “Across that extraordinary diversity are myriad opportunities for foods that are more nutritious, more sustainable, and more inclusive all at once.” Aquatic foods are especially promising when compared with common land-based foods, particularly those that are animal-based. “If done sustainably, you could actually increase food from the sea and by an outsize proportion relative to expansion of land-based food,” said Ling Cao, Affiliated Fellow at Stanford's Center for Food Security and the Environment, in a Stanford Earth Matters article in 2020. A similar Nature paper, by Bianchi et al. in 2022, assessed nutrient density and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of common seafood types, and the comparisons are unequivocal: Beef and pork fare worse than small pelagics, large pelagics, and both farmed and wild salmonids and farmed whitefish; most every type of seafood was rated more nutrient-dense than chicken, with farmed bivalves, small pelagics, wild salmonids, and wild whitefish all also lower in emissions than chicken. The Challenges Sustainable seafood is also incredibly complicated, in part because it is literally produced all over this planet in numerous ways, and is a critically important resource for billions of people, both for food security and for their livelihoods. The reality of the seafood industry is that it is primarily populated by smaller-scale producers, which means they don’t operate as supply chains but more as supply webs. Seafood is also historically not favored as a protein source in the American diet. A mere 1 in 5 Americans eat the recommended two servings per week. Roughly half of Americans eat it only occasionally or not at all. “Chefs also have a unique opportunity to act as change agents in promoting sustainable seafood practices to their diners,” said Montell. “By carefully selecting and preparing sustainably sourced seafood, chefs can not only offer their customers a delicious meal, but educate them about the importance of responsible fishing and aquaculture practices. By prioritizing sustainable seafood options on their menus, chefs can inspire positive change in the industry and help protect freshwater and marine environments for generations to come. At Stanford, we have a unique opportunity to influence the 250 million meals our current students will consume over their collective lifetimes.” The other catch, so to speak, is that all too often, seafood is simply overlooked in conversations about shifting diets. It’s often not on the agenda at food conferences or in major action plans around food and health or food and climate. (Food in itself is often not on the agenda for climate to begin with.) And it’s grossly underinvested in, relative to its tremendous potential impact. Of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, “Life Below Water” received the least investment. No doubt this contributes to its low visibility among both decision-makers and consumers. In the U.S., aquaculture funding is less than 2% of the budget for NOAA Fisheries. And yes, aquaculture plays a key role in this future of sustainable seafood. Why? Today, more than 50% of all of the seafood you eat has been farmed, and not all farmed fish and seafood is bad. Far from it. In fact, aquaculture has existed for thousands of years and is currently the fastest growing form of food production. In addition, the modern face of aquaculture is changing rapidly. For many people, “aquaculture” is a bad word because they have heard the negative headlines about salmon and shrimp farming in particular (mangrove destruction, disease issues, chemicals, etc.) and have thus painted the entire aquaculture industry with the same brush. But today, new standards have arisen for responsible aquaculture–for everything from shellfish to pond aquaculture to regenerative ocean farming. In closing, R&DE SDHA may be the first campus dining organization to earn Smart Catch Ambassador status, but we certainly hope they will not be the only. Stanford collaborates with 70 other colleges and universities through the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative, and tremendous work is occurring there and nationwide to improve human and planetary health through food. While it may feel daunting to responsibly ensure that aquatic foods play a role in shaping your healthy and sustainable menus, we’re confident that steps like these 12 can get you heading in the right direction. @Foodservice leaders: What’s missing from our list of strategies? Tell us what strategies you’re using in your own operation. This is a 1.0 solution set, but Postelsia is currently creating a foodservice playbook for sustainable seafood sourcing, and their goal is to crowdsource knowledge and success stories from operations nationwide. Get in touch at lpeet@postelsia.com. Sophie Egan is director of the Stanford Food Institute and Sustainable Food Systems while Corey and Laura Peet are co-founders of Postelsia

Making the case for American offshore aquaculture By Corey Peet and Sammy Monsour The James Beard Foundation’s Smart Catch program is an educational assessment program that supports chefs in their efforts to prioritize environmentally sustainable seafood when developing their menus. Since 2016, in partnership with Postelsia, the James Beard Foundation gives Smart Catch Leader seals to those that qualify as a way to show their commitment to sustainability. The program relaunched in early 2022 after taking a necessary pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and has expanded its standards to allow top performers to be recognized in the program as “Smart Catch Ambassadors.” The Ambassador category, in addition to requiring high sustainability performance goals, also requires chefs to demonstrate their sustainable seafood advocacy in some way. Chefs play a key role in bettering our local and national food systems. They’ve become champions for small farmers, seasonal ingredients, and sustainable business practices. U.S. chefs are well-known for celebrating farmers and fishers alike, but not necessarily fish farmers. Chefs bridge the gap between the farm and the fork—transforming raw ingredients into beautiful, delicious, exciting meals. In doing so, chefs influence the demand for what we grow, what our grocery stores stock, what we put on our plates, and how we think and talk about food. As an industry, we have a great opportunity to start a new conversation about aquaculture with chefs as ambassadors. With chefs’ innovative approach to their craft, their customer (and public) following, and their knowledge of seafood supply issues, they are uniquely positioned to advocate for sustainable aquaculture to both consumers and lawmakers. One way chefs are becoming advocates for farming seafood sustainably is through the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture (CSA). Convened by the Environmental Defense Fund, CSA is a partnership of environmental advocates, industry leaders, and award-winning chefs who are coming together to chart a responsible path forward for a safe, sustainable, and science-based offshore aquaculture industry in U.S. waters. Postelsia is pleased to be a part of the CSA to show its support for sustainable aquaculture. By advocating for government studies and rigorous on-the-water pilot programs, the CSA aims to build a strong regulatory framework that will allow us to meet the growing demand for healthy, delicious seafood right here at home while protecting our environment, creating jobs and economic opportunities, and boosting coastal communities to the benefit of all Americans. Matching these types of initiatives is exactly what the new version of Smart Catch is designed to do and supporting the CSA makes a lot of sense at this critical juncture in the development of the U.S. aquaculture industry. To learn more, visit the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture. The U.S. has a massive seafood trade deficit, resulting in roughly 80% of the seafood we consume being imported. Simply put, we export most of our seafood for the rest of the world to enjoy, and in trade, we generally import lower quality seafood for our own consumption. Nearly 2.5 billion pounds of our imported seafood is farm-raised in other countries, translating to more than half of all the seafood on the American plate originating from countries that we have no regulatory control over. That means the farmed sea bass, salmon, or shrimp in many U.S. kitchens is often produced in countries without rigorous environmental and health standards or social equity practices. To make sourcing seafood easier and more sustainable, we need to be able to farm our seafood here at home. Despite the fact that we consume an estimated 6.3 billion pounds of seafood per year, the U.S. ranks 17th in global aquaculture production, producing a mere 1 million pounds of marine aquaculture annually. In addition, the U.S. is one of the largest land masses on the planet, with the second-largest Exclusive Economic Zone* in the world. We also have an extremely favorable financial landscape that can support much-needed investment into offshore aquaculture companies. Even tech companies like Alphabet, Google's parent company, are building technologies for aquaculture that will streamline production and create systems that track key sustainability performance data in real-time. The X, Alphabet's moonshot factory (formerly Google[x]), has created Project Tidal, a technology that tracks fish biometrics by the second, and could potentially be adapted for sustainability purposes. All of this presents a strong argument for expanding our aquaculture industry into offshore Federal waters—a large area that presents vast opportunities for increasing responsible, domestic seafood production. Most importantly, we must do it right, so we can increase access to healthy and nutritious protein in every corner of the country while also growing inclusive and equitable jobs for our coastal communities. Farmed salmon plated up by chef Sammy Monsour (photo courtesy of Sammy Monsour) Creating a Recipe for a Sustainable Industry To “do it right,” we must first build a strong regulatory framework that protects our environment, creates economic opportunities, and supports coastal communities. A solid regulatory framework that is informed by and supported by many stakeholders can get us there. There’s strength in numbers! Second, we need a certification program that tracks performance data and presents it in a way that allows concerned stakeholders to understand the progress of the industry. U.S. technology companies could play a key role in tracking data that will create the much-needed social license for the industry to be successful. Imagine if real-time sustainability data from farms 100 miles offshore was available for consumers via Google Tidal technology. Third, we need the right group of advocates to help create the social license in support of the industry. The U.S. is full of world class chefs that have already been activated as advocates for sustainable seafood (for example, James Beard Smart Catch program). This group can play a key role in moving this conversation forward. Finally, we need to acknowledge the privilege that we all have living in North America. With such a staggering seafood trade deficit, the rest of the world is currently bearing the burden of producing our food for us. There are many criticisms of how they do it, which are fair. What is less fair is to continue to import as much seafood as we do without producing our fair share. In addition, the U.S. has had success in reforming its fisheries management with legislation such as the Magnuson-Stevens Act, which has become a global standard for strong science-based fisheries management. The U.S. has the same opportunity to become global leaders for sustainable science-based offshore aquaculture. Together, we must develop best practices for sustainable production of healthy seafood that meets our environmental and health standards—because the growth of aquaculture in our ocean is a matter of when and how, not if and where. Still on the Fence about Aquaculture? Aquaculture is the water farming of aquatic animals and plants, and is both ancient, and the fastest-growing form of food protein production on the planet. Global aquaculture production totals roughly 120 million metric tons per year and continues to grow. Across the board, it also happens to be one of the most efficient forms of protein production. Marine aquaculture requires far less feed, pound-in to pound-out, than the production of beef, chicken or pork. It also requires less energy to produce, depends on zero fresh water and, on average, contributes a fraction of the anthropogenic greenhouse gases compared to the production of other animal proteins. Alas, modern aquaculture has earned a bad reputation due to legitimate and well-documented impacts of certain aquaculture industries, such as salmon and shrimp. There have been issues with high use of wild fish in feed, mangrove destruction, pollution impacts, and in some cases, serious impacts on people and communities. However, significant progress has been made by some producers in recent years and those problematic industries make up less than 16% of global aquaculture. With both production methods and species being incredibly diverse, aquaculture is not just one thing. As with most forms of food production, there is a spectrum from good to bad, and the key is to differentiate those that are doing it better. Still have questions about aquaculture? Read “Why You Should Give Farmed Fish a New Look” by chef Barton Seaver, a seafood evangelist and founding member of the Coalition for Sustainable Aquaculture. * An Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a concept adopted at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (1982), whereby a coastal State assumes jurisdiction over the exploration and exploitation of marine resources in its adjacent section of the continental shelf, taken to be a band extending 200 miles from the shore. The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) comprises an area which extends either from the coast, or in federal systems from the seaward boundaries of the constituent states (3 to 12 nautical miles, in most cases) to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) off the coast. Within this area, nations claim and exercise sovereign rights and exclusive fishery management authority over all fish and all Continental Shelf fishery resources. (Review of Fisheries in OECD Countries: Glossary, February 1998). -- Postelsia is a team of sustainable seafood experts who provide guidance to participants in our Smart Catch program. Learn more at postelsia.com.

Where Food Comes From, Inc. Announces Riverence Provisions LLC as First Aquaculture Producer Approved for FishCARE Standard CASTLE ROCK, CO – July 20, 2022 – Where Food Comes From, Inc. (WFCF) (Nasdaq: WFCF), the most trusted resource for independent, third-party verification of food production practices in North America, today announced that Riverence Provisions LLC, a Rainbow Trout and Steelhead trout farming, processing and, distribution company in North America, is the first to have its farming operations FishCARE Certified. The FishCARE standard for aquaculture operations was developed by the Postelsia unit of Where Food Comes From. The FishCARE standard for the aquaculture industry verifies that producers are using best practices in caring for animals, the environment, and the people and communities who support them, while paving the way for producers to credibly demonstrate their sustainability commitments and supports a more holistic food systems narrative. The development of FishCARE was guided by the support of a diverse scientific advisory committee with expertise including social and environmental sustainability, climate concerns, responsible supply chains, as well as the perspectives from the culinary community. Postelsia, a division of Where Food Comes From, specializes in place-based (i.e. regional) seafood sustainability initiatives and developed this standard for land-based aquac ulture farmers including pond, raceway, and recirculating aquaculture systems. Marine open net pen and shellfish farms are not included in this standard but may be part of future projects for Postelsia. “Our work with aquaculture farmers around the world has shown us that there are many interesting stories waiting to be told about how our food is produced. Our hope is that the FishCARE standard will help tell some of those stories for aquaculture operations and allow for these producers to differentiate themselves like the CARE Certified program has done for land-based proteins,” said Corey Peet of Postelsia. “We are thrilled to become the first FishCARE approved producer as animal welfare has been a priority for us at Riverence for quite some time. We are pleased we can now communicate that to the market along with our commitments to environmental and social sustainability,” said Jesse Trushenski, Chief Science Officer and VP of Animal Welfare for the Riverence Group. “Having Riverence Provisions as the first certified producer in our new aquaculture FishCARE standard is a significant step for Postelsia and Where Food Comes From,” said John Saunders, Chairman and CEO of WFCF. “The commitment of the experienced Riverence Provisions team to our FishCARE standard was an important validation of the work we are doing in seafood and aquaculture, and we look forward to working closely with them on this program.” James Beard Award winning Chef Jennifer Jasinski added, “At my restaurants, we work hard every day to source and celebrate unique products that align with our values and standards. The CARE Certified certification for Riverence Provisions makes that decision easier for our chefs and appeals to our guests.” The CARE Certified family of verification standards, which have been developed by Where Food Comes From for the beef, pork, poultry, dairy and now aquaculture industries are intended to recognize farmers who go above and beyond current industry standards when it comes to animal care, environmental and community aspects, while ensuring that traceability remains intact. Producers certified to the FishCARE standard are required to follow practices that minimize farm impact on the surrounding ecosystem through wastewater use, habitat considerations, responsible and reduced wild fish use, escape management and disease prevention. They also provide a safe and supportive environment to their workers through a focus on training, worker health and safety considerations, emergency preparedness and fair compensation in addition to engaging with their local communities to thoughtfully plan for the future of their workers and the business. The FishCARE sustainability standard is unique in the aquaculture space as it provides comprehensive standards to ensure fish are being humanely raised and relies on t he use of science-based welfare indicators. Producers certified against the standard are able to verify that their fish are raised in a clean and safe environment. CARE Certified aquaculture producers prioritize fish health and follow humane practices throughout the farming process, including handling, transportation, and slaughter. ABOUT RIVERENCE Riverence Holdings LLC is the parent company of Riverence Brood (egg production), as well as Riverence Farms and Riverence Provisions (trout production, processing, and distribution). Collectively, the group is the largest rainbow trout and steelhead producer in the Americas and have full 'egg to plate' control of their supply chain, with distribution nationwide. For more information, visit riverence.com and follow Riverence on social, @RiverenceUSA. ABOUT POSTELSIA Postelsia believes that improvements in seafood and aquaculture need to foster eq uity and shared value across the supply chain. In creating innovative solutions with producers, Postelsia aims to connect its projects to consumers, retailers, and chefs who have a strong commitment to responsibly produced seafood. Postelsia provides a range of programs and consulting services designed to manage risks to buyers associated with social and environmental impacts, and also to help maximize value for the producers themselves. In constant evolution and growth as a company, and as the newest division of Where Food Comes From, Postelsia continues to innovate through partnerships and integrated technology. Postelsia also partners with the James Beard Foundation to run the Smart Catch program for the restaurant industry. ABOUT WHERE FOOD COMES FROM, INC. Where Food Comes From, Inc. is America’s trusted resource for third party verification of food production practices. Through proprietary technology and patented business processes, the Company estimates that it supports more than 17,500 farmers, ranchers, vineyards, wineries, processors, retailers, distributors, trade associations, consumer brands and restaurants with a wide variety of value-added services. Through its IMI Global, Validus Verification Services, SureHarvest, WFCF Organic (previously known as International Certification Services and A Bee Organic), Postelsia and Sterling Solutions units, Where Food Comes From solutions are used to verify food claims, optimize production practices and enable food supply chains with analytics and data driven insights. In addition, the Company’s Where Food Comes From® retail and restaurant labeling program uses web-based customer education tools to connect consumers to the sources of the food they purchase, increasing meaningful consumer engagement for our clients. ABOUT CHEF JEN JASINSKI James Beard award-winning chef Jennifer Jasinski and business partner Beth Gruitch are the founders of Denver’s Crafted Concepts restaurants, opening their flagship, Rioja, in 2004 and subsequently creating three other successful full-service restaurants – Stoic & Genuine, Ultreia and Bistro Vendôme. Jasinski also leads the culinary direction for The Ponti, recently opened in The Denver Art Museum. Chef Jen was the first Denver chef to win the James Beard award for Best Chef Southwest in 2013 and was semi-finalist for JBF Outstanding Chef in 2016 and Outstanding Restaurateur in 2020. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, based on current expectations, estimates and projections that are subject to risk. Forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and actual events could differ materially from the Company’s predictions. Important factors that could cause actual events to vary from predictions include those discussed in our SEC filings. Specifically, statements in this news release about industry leadership and demand for, and impact and efficacy of, the Company’s products and services on the marketplace; and the Company’s efforts to build the seafood component of its service mix a re forward-looking statements that are subject to a variety of factors, including availability of capital, personnel and other resources; competition; governmental regulation of the agricultural industry; the market for beef and other commodities; and other factors. Readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect new information or developments. For a more extensive discussion of the Company’s business, please refer to the Company’s SEC filings at www.sec.gov. MEDIA CONTACT Corey Peet Vice President & Co-Founder cpeet@postelsia.com +1-236-464-2380 www.postelsia.com COMPANY CONTACTS Jennifer Moore Marketing Manager, Where Food Comes From, Inc. 303-895-3002 jmoore@wherefoodcomesfrom.com Jay Pfeiffer Director, Investor Relations 303-880-9000 jpfeiffer@wherefoodcomesfrom.com

With the support of Postelsia, the James Beard Foundation remains committed to sustainability and relaunches a new and improved Smart Catch program nationwide FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 10, 2022 New York, NY - The James Beard Foundation officially relaunches the Smart Catch program via chef events in New York and California in March 2022, showcasing curated storied seafood products from around the world. "Smart Catch is an important program for the Foundation, as it epitomizes the transformative, positive impact that chefs can have on the environment through their menu decisions," says Anne E. McBride, PhD, Vice President of Programs at JBF. "We are thrilled to bring this program back with the support of our partner Postelsia, with a renewed vision that acknowledges that change is a never a finished project, but ongoing, daily progress." Smart Catch is an educational program created by chefs for chefs with the purpose of increasing the sustainability of the seafood offered on menus. Chefs are uniquely positioned to create positive change in seafood supply chains and influence consumer behavior. While Smart Catch recognizes the best performers, the program emphasizes the importance of improvement in both the culinary space and in seafood supply chains. By connecting producers to chefs, Smart Catch aims to create positive change on the water and for all the people connected to it. Sustainability needs a more holistic and inclusive approach, and improvement, not just best performance, both in restaurants and supply chains should be encouraged and celebrated. Through Smart Catch, chefs have a chance to use their influence to lead industry efforts to maintain healthy, sustainable food sources today and for future generations. “I have been a huge supporter of sustainable seafood for over 25 years so I was excited to reintroduce the Smart Catch program to other chefs and restaurateurs in Los Angeles. Consumers buy the vast majority of their seafood from restaurants, so our industry has the potential to make a huge impact by making smarter seafood choices,” says chef Mary Sue Milliken. Postelsia is the sustainability partner to the James Beard Foundation and has operated the Smart Catch program since 2016. “We are thrilled to be re-launching the Smart Catch program and have been working hard to create a new and improved program to have an even greater impact,” says Laura Peet, Vice President of Operations and Co-Founder at Postelsia. “It feels good to be able to once again celebrate chefs and restaurants that are committed to seafood sustainability.” The relaunch of Smart Catch includes promotional events in Los Angeles, CA at Socalo California Canteen & Mexican Pub, and at the historic James Beard House in Manhattan, NY. “Sustainable seafood should be the obvious choice for restaurant owners when quality, taste and versatility are of the utmost importance,” says chef Jennifer Hill Booker. The event in Los Angeles coincides with the second annual Re:Her festival, celebrating women restaurateurs on a mission to empower and advance all women identifying food and drink entrepreneurs by way of innovative platforms. March 7: Socalo (LA), with Chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger with guest chefs Brooke Williamson, Natalie Curie, Shirley Chung, Nickey McKnight March. 9: James Beard House (NYC) with Chefs Amy Brandwein, Jennifer Hill Booker, Tu David Phu, and Hari Pulapaka The events are made possible by the generous support of Sea Tech Trading and the Japan Fisheries Agency. “Our organization is proud to support the Smart Catch program and raise awareness of sustainably produced sea bream from Japan. We are excited to support chefs who want to use their influence in leading industry efforts to create a more sustainable food system. It is great to have the opportunity to showcase Japanese efforts on this front,” says Nemo Glassman, CEO of Sea Tech Trading. Several seafood products were showcased and celebrated including premium antibiotic-free Sea Bream from Japan along with other products from the SakanaBlue collection. Riverence Trout from Idaho, Selva Shrimp from Vietnam, Kvaroy Arctic Salmon from Norway, American Unagi from Maine, and California Market Squid also made an appearance on the event menus. Chef Susan Feniger of Socalo in Los Angeles shares, “It was wonderful to have close to 100 chefs together at one event and reconnect them to Smart Catch. We’re happy to have Smart Catch back on track again so we have all the tools we need to make better purchasing decisions.” ### ABOUT THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION The James Beard Foundation celebrates and supports the people behind America’s food culture, while pushing for new standards in the restaurant industry to create a future where all have the opportunity to thrive. Established over 30 years ago, the Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives and is committed to supporting a resilient and flourishing industry that honors its diverse communities. By amplifying new voices, celebrating those leading the way, and supporting those on the path to do so, the Foundation is working to create a more equitable and sustainable future—what we call Good Food for GoodTM. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the James Beard Foundation launched the Open for Good campaign to ensure that independent restaurants not only survive, but that the industry is able to rebuild stronger than before. For more information, subscribe to the digital newsletter Beard Bites and follow @beardfoundation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Clubhouse. The James Beard Foundation is a national not-for-profit 501c(3) organization based in New York City. ABOUT POSTELSIA Postelsia believes that improvements in seafood need to foster equity and shared value across the supply chain. In creating innovative solutions with producers, Postelsia aims to connect its projects to consumers, retailers, and chefs who have a strong commitment to responsibly produced seafood. Postelsia provides a range of programs and consulting services designed to manage risks to buyers associated with social and environmental impacts, and also to help maximize value for the producers themselves. In constant evolution and growth as a company, and as the newest division of Where Food Comes From, a Colorado-based company that offers a wide array of verification and certification services, Postelsia continues to innovate through partnerships and integrated technology. ABOUT SEA TECH TRADING Sea Tech Trading supports the growth of seafood producers through international market initiatives, technology development, and sustainability improvements. Japan has long been known for the highest quality of seafood and now partnerships with the Japanese government and key players in the industry has allowed Sea Tech Trading to bring topics such as carbon neutrality, transparency, traceability, and sustainable farming and fishing practices to the forefront of the Japanese seafood industry. MEDIA CONTACT Laura Peet Vice President of Operations & Co-Founder lpeet@postelsia.com +1 250 889 6295 www.postelsia.com

For the past decade, efforts to make seafood more sustainable have focused primarily on engaging large-scale buyers and getting them to shift their policies toward promoting sustainable seafood procurement. This was initially a good strategy when sustainability issues were not in the public eye, but after a decade of effort, the amount of seafood that is certified sustainable sits at only 15% of seafood globally. A major contributing factor to the low percentage is due to the fact that small-scale producers can be a major part of global seafood supply chains and for whom certifications don’t really work because they are too costly for the day to day realities of their operations. If we are to drive this number up, we must find ways to be more inclusive of small-scale producers and build solutions that work for them, including finding ways to support their improvement along the way. Creating Connections Small-scale production does not meet large-scale buyer needs in a few important ways. First, small-scale producers simply don’t produce high enough volumes and this coupled with their high numbers creates greater challenges from a risk and traceability point of view. For certifications, the same problem is true when it comes to verifying compliance of small-scale supply chains against their certification standards. Finally, many small-scale producers have powerful stories associated with their products and in some cases can already be producing a very sustainable product. All of this brings us to an interesting nexus point when we start to think about sustainability. What is the required value proposition we need when trying to engage small-scale farmers in sustainability? For small-scale producers, it needs to be a combination of greater value generation through stories and visuals, and partnerships with buyers who are willing to accept working with smaller volumes. In other words, working with small-scale producers and accepting the seasonality effect where a chef or restaurant will feature menu items so long as they’re available, but also celebrating when they’re not. Due to high levels of consumer trust, chefs already have a successful track record of promoting small-scale products that are predominantly North American. They care a great deal about brand alignment and value connection with local fishers/farmers and their stories. But what if this was possible on a global scale and what if chefs are the missing link in helping drive more inclusivity for small-scale producers around this planet? Should they care about promoting sustainability with small seafood producers overseas in addition to the United States? Creating a Global Mindset Maintaining a myopic view of sustainability in this complex world of seafood doesn’t serve us well, and chefs who adopt a global mindset have real opportunities to not only demonstrate culinary leadership by expanding their portfolio of flavors, but also demonstrate leadership on sustainability. The most common critique that critics have about sourcing from overseas is food miles or the carbon footprint of seafood. There is no question that some seafood items such as some tuna and salmon products are flown, and the carbon footprint of those items is concerning. However, there are many types of seafood that are not flown including farmed shrimp. Furthermore, with the advancement of new freezing technologies that are arguably preserving the quality better than fresh, the requirement to fly seafood could be a thing of the past in the not too distant future. It is also important to note that when seafood is frozen and shipped by sea freight, the carbon footprint is very low. For example, if we consider farmed shrimp frozen and container-shipped from Vietnam, the carbon footprint (144 CO2 / tonne) is equivalent to trucking seafood from San Francisco to Orange County. This tells us that the mode of transport matters more than miles the product travels, and that seeking international opportunities is important if we want to create more equity and resiliency in our communities. Chef Danielle Leoni of the Breadfruit and Rum Bar in Arizona is a great example of a chef adopting a global mindset and promoting small-scale production in Vietnam. Leoni has been sourcing black tiger shrimp grown by small-scale family farms in Vietnam. “I choose to feature Selva shrimp on my menu because they’re delicious and in line with my personal values. Having true culinary prowess means cooking food that goes beyond tasty and beautiful-it’s responsible. Selva checks all of the boxes-they’re raised in synergy with the mangroves, provide a fair income for farmers, have a low carbon footprint and have a flavor that wins in all of my recipes.” In short, the need for chef voices to promote sustainable seafood both locally and abroad is clear and there is no credible reason why chefs cannot have a global representation on their menu. Creating Shared Value Although virtually all of the small-scale seafood producers around the world have no idea where their product goes, many of them are interested in knowing more and care about having their story told. What holds true for many small-scale producers is that their work is often borne out of the need to simply survive, and those producers who rise up from the ranks and become successful in their communities consider themselves very fortunate. Organizations such as the Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative (ASIC), are committed to engaging small-scale producers in an effort to radically shift and redefine the Asian seafood industry, and the importance of these small-scale producers in a global context cannot be understated both in terms of their existence and how they operate. Helping them produce sustainably could have a significant impact as many of them operate in and around tropical ecosystems that are very important to global biodiversity. ASIC is also working to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality throughout shrimp supply chains, from the women working on their family farms to women doing the vital work of processing shrimp for export. Women are often underrepresented in stories about shrimp supply chains despite the fact that they make up approximately 50% of the labour force. Sustainability-minded chefs can choose to showcase the contributions of women and support women’s economic empowerment by sourcing products working to improve conditions and opportunities for women on the ground. Without creating proper incentives for small-scale producers, it is unlikely that they will figure out sustainable practices on their own. Not because they are incapable, but because they simply don’t have the time nor the access to resources and training to help them align their production with these important requirements. Small-scale producers need to have their stories celebrated and relationships need to be fostered across the global supply chain in order to create a shared value approach to sustainability. There has never been a better time nor greater need to do this than today.

The world of seafood is complicated. When the NGO community initially started to take action to improve the health of the world’s seafood industry, they realized they first had to come up with a definition to clearly define what sustainability meant for the seafood industry. In addition to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program and other similar entities who defined sustainability criteria to create consumer wallet cards, seafood certifications such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for fisheries as well as the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) and the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP), began to pop up and offer other approaches, some of which included social standards as 3rd party audits to verify compliance. These definitions ultimately allowed major seafood buyers to build seafood policies that included various sustainability commitments, such as committing to only using one of the certification schemes. The result today is that almost every major seafood buyer has some sort of sustainability commitment which is definitely a great success. However, despite working with buyers with sustainability commitments over the past ten years, less than 15% of all global fisheries and aquaculture are currently certified. This highlights the need for a greater focus on improving seafood as buyers can only deliver on their sustainability commitments with a healthy supply.] Fisheries and Aquaculture Improvement Projects Seafood improvement projects are complicated and depend upon the nature of the supply chain for a particular seafood item including which country it is located in, the biology of the species, and whether or not the question “Are we sustainable?” has been considered before. Seafood improvement projects are divided into two categories: fisheries and aquaculture. Fisheries improvement projects (FIPs) generally fall into two categories based on definitions created by the conservation lens for seafood solutions. “Comprehensive” FIPs are benchmarked against the MSC standards and work towards MSC certification within a five-year period, whereas “Basic” FIPs are projects that aim to improve fisheries without being too concerned about certification in the short term. Fisheryprogress.org is an online resource that lists all of the FIPs around the world and provides information about when they started, how much progress they have made, and how much further they need to go. Unlike fisheries, there is no single agreed-upon aquaculture certification standard, and therefore, no real definition of an aquaculture improvement project. In reality, one simply needs to be able to demonstrate that their operation is improving against a standard that they have identified. While there are probably well over 100 FIPs in the world, the number of AIPs is only a small fraction of that. However, AIPs will likely become a bigger part of the landscape moving forward given that they are technically easier to execute than FIPs and more of the growth in seafood production will come from aquaculture. Caught in the Seafood Supply Web The leverage for most improvement projects today is being driven by major seafood buyers interests which have focused most of the attention on larger scale FIPs. While this should be celebrated, it’s important to note that small-scale fisheries and aquaculture make up the majority of global seafood production and part of the reason why only less than 15% of global seafood is certified. In short, we have not found ways to effectively engage the small-scale production community who are predominantly in developing countries where pursuing this work is more difficult and complicated. For example, a small-scale shrimp farming operation may have to work with their farming neighbours: a hatchery to get baby shrimp, a feed company, a broker to harvest their shrimp and move it to a processor, and sometimes, there can be multiples of each one of these steps. In other words, we are not dealing with supply chains but rather, supply webs and that is a big part of what makes it complicated. The Need For Global Solutions While it sounds hard to try to resolve some of these challenges, the importance of supporting improvement projects cannot be understated. The reality today is that the challenges facing the seafood industry are global, and therefore, require solutions to be produced from a global perspective. Global seafood producers cannot be expected to figure out how to be sustainable on their own because the notion of sustainability is, in many respects, a bit of an idealistic Western concept. As a species, we are only as strong as our weakest link, and in this case, many of these seafood supply chains surround important ecosystems for our planet. We cannot simply abandon them, or we lose the opportunity to create sustainable change. As western consumers, we need to find ways to embrace the realities of the supply chain and work together to find solutions with the stakeholders themselves to the greatest extent possible. This is what seafood improvement projects are trying to do but we need to go further and roll up our sleeves and get to work for the small-scale producers in the world. This is where collaborations between chefs and small-scale producers could be a game changer as there are tremendous stories that come from seafood improvement projects. Producers around the world are proud of their stories and would love for them to be told.

At the present time, there are over 5.5 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and the global death toll has surpassed nearly 350,000 people. What we are experiencing the world over is the kind of disruption that none of us would have even considered possible, and living in the grips of this pandemic has given us a globally connected experience unlike any we have had in our lifetime. Our vulnerability to global disruption has been exposed and, while it goes without saying that we are all looking forward to a return to normalcy, it is also important to recognize that we have an opportunity to examine and reconsider some of our behaviours that have impacted our world and played a part in leading us to our current predicament. The Need for Deeper Regional, National, and Global Connection The expansion of human activity across the planet continues to drive our species deeper and deeper into our natural ecosystems. It is estimated that 80% of forest loss is due to conversion to agriculture. From a Western perspective, it is easy to critique the people who are pushing into forests and other wild landscapes to produce food and commodity goods, but it is important to note that they are seeking out arable soil to farm in order to feed their families and earn income. Some farms encroach on wildlife habitat as a way to improve livelihood and in many communities the net for nourishment is cast widely simply out of pure necessity and market demand. Most of this activity is driven by the fact that we live in a world full of social and economic inequity. It may not be clear to those of us who are privileged enough to live in spacious homes and have access to fresh, healthy food, but reconciling equity gaps needs to be an increasing part of our understanding as well as being adapted into any strategies designed to build a sustainable food system. Extensive black tiger shrimp farm - Indonesia (Photo: Asian Seafood Improvement Collaborative) There are tremendous opportunities to help cultivate equity around the world, including choosing to source seafood that promotes social sustainability in the countries in which it is produced. The COVID-19 crisis is likely to cause knee-jerk reactions that reflect a societal fear of consuming seafood from overseas. However, this kind of response will only deepen the social and gender inequities already pervasive in the seafood sector and lead to greater economic turbulence. While supporting local producers is incredibly important, isolating ourselves from the rest of the world, including relying on only local food sources, will not foster global equity and connection. In short, it is time for us to start thinking at the “species level” and let go of the need to alienate country, race, or culture. The Power of the Culinary Community The solution for global sustainability lies in every community everywhere on this planet. Building resilience in each one is fundamental to achieving widespread human and ecological well-being. Chefs are well poised to help in many ways as they already play important roles within their communities, including the shaping of the local culture and food landscape. However, their influence has been mostly limited to the local or national level, at best. While their influence on a global scale has yet to be fully realized, there is no question that they could use their plates and platforms to share the stories of producer families along with their struggles and successes. Efforts to make seafood sustainable have been driven for far too long by the interests of the largest buyers that believe their collective buying power alone can create the required change in the industry. And while there is no question they can make a difference, the truth is that sustainability does not exist in a singular global solution but rather in local and regional solutions that redistribute value and benefits in unique ways throughout the entire supply chain. True value lies in building connections through sharing people’s stories, and restaurants and food retailers now have an unprecedented opportunity to engage in more meaningful ways within their local communities and beyond. The Problem With Locavorism in this Globalized Food Industry One might ask, “how on earth is it possible to be sustainable when purchasing food produced halfway around the world?” The answer lies in the fact that it has less to do with the distance that the product travels and more to do with the way in which it travels. Early in the sustainability debate, there was the mantra “think global, act local” and while this is generally still good advice, it perpetuates the misunderstanding that sourcing locally is the only sustainable option. A recent paper in Science suggests that only 27% of the global population can actually source all of their key food needs within 100 km of their location. This is especially true of seafood, with foreign imports to the United States being at least 62%. Part of the argument to not source globally is due to the “food miles” associated with a product. However, a product that is air shipped even just 1,000 miles can have more than four times the carbon impacts of a product that is container shipped from halfway around the world. Even driving is not as carbon friendly as we might think when it comes to food transport. For example, driving products from Northern California to Southern California has the same carbon footprint as container shipping all the way from southeast Asia. With this noted, the reality is that in food production, transport accounts for a small percentage of overall CO2 emissions. Much more important to your food carbon footprint is what you are eating and how it is produced. For example, farmed shrimp has only 20% of the CO2 equivalents per kilogram vs. that of beef (from dedicated beef herd). In short, the carbon footprint argument has been overstated for imported seafood, which obscures the ways that human livelihoods and ecological outcomes are interconnected around the world. Proponents of eating local also often argue that “fresh is better”. However, the advent of modern freezing methods allows for seafood to be frozen at its peak of freshness, and in many instances, the offering in a market freezer may actually be fresher (depending on your definition) than those in a seafood case. Furthermore, as technology continues to improve and become more accessible, the possibilities to support more types of seafood products from less industrialized countries will expand. Problems in seafood sustainability are global in nature and therefore require global solutions. As western consumers, we have a responsibility to ensure that our buying power supports sustainability both locally and abroad. Shaping the Future of Food Systems It is time to start thinking about how we can contribute to the sustainability of the food systems we rely upon and help create healthy, resilient communities all around the world. We know the stories of chefs connecting with local producers and celebrating the stories of those products with their customers in their restaurants. There is no reason why we should not be able to form such partnerships at the national and international level. Imagine, for example, a group of female shrimp farmers in Indonesia or Vietnam who are challenging gender norms in their communities while trying to earn a livelihood for their households. Is it fair (or ethical) to expect that they will simply overcome some of the cultural barriers that are in their way, or are there partnerships with chefs or key organizations such as the James Beard Foundation that should be formed to support them? The problem arises from the belief that “our country or our culture” comes first when in reality we need to embrace a more global mindset. If there is anything that the COVID-19 crisis is teaching us, it is that we are undoubtedly in this together, and our survival as a species on this planet will come down to our ability and willingness to accept this reality and construct our sustainability strategies and solutions accordingly.

Salmon’s popularity is undeniable—it’s one of the top three seafood products eaten in the U.S. (alongside shrimp and tuna). Salmon are a northern hemisphere species that spend most of their lives at sea but play a critical role in rivers and ocean ecosystems. As a “keystone species,” their existence influences the survival of many other species, providing a vital source of nutrients for both animal and plant life from the forest to the sea. In fact, researchers can trace nutrients from salmon in the tops of old-growth trees in the ancient rainforests of British Columbia. The salmon industry is divided into two major sectors: wild caught and farmed. Wild salmon are caught in Canada, Russia, the United States, and, to a lesser extent, Europe. In the U.S., Alaska is home to the world’s most prominent wild-caught salmon industry, producing approximately 850,000 tons of salmon annually. Europe and Eastern North America used to have strong salmon runs, but Atlantic salmon populations have dwindled relative to their historical size and serve as a cautionary tale of overfishing and habitat change. Salmon farming is predominantly concentrated in Norway, Chile, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and produces mainly Atlantic salmon and a few other species, such as steelhead or Coho. There are environmental issues that are worth understanding for both the wild and farmed industries before you next head to the grocery store. Challenges Facing the Salmon Industry Wild-caught salmon issues include: conflicts over who has rights to the salmon stocks given that salmon can traverse many international boundaries habitat loss in watersheds where salmon spawn due to logging or mining interactions between hatchery-reared fish and wild fish In the case of hatcheries, the concern is that artificially enhanced salmon stocks can interact with wild stocks both on fishing grounds and in rivers while spawning. Hatchery fish breeding with wild fish in spawning grounds can affect the health of a salmon population by reducing overall genetic diversity. The impacts of the salmon farming industry have been more widely publicized, ranging from the effects of farm pollution on marine habitats below salmon pens, to the killing of sea lions who get tangled in the farming nets, the transfer of disease or sea lice from farmed salmon to wild salmon, and the use of feed and chemicals. While there have been improvements, as demonstrated by the availability of both green and yellow Seafood Watch–rated farmed salmon, work remains to be done in markets such as Norway, the United Kingdom, and Eastern Canada, where most salmon are rated “avoid”. In the U.S., the future of salmon farming is unclear. Production has improved in Maine (now recognized as an “Approved” choice in the James Beard Foundation Smart Catch program), but salmon farming has been banned for years in Alaska, and is now also banned in Washington state after a massive escape event at a salmon farm caused legislators to act in early 2018. So, should salmon be featured as a menu item? The answer is a resounding yes, provided you make the appropriate choice. Fortunately, there are good wild and farmed options. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch website is an excellent resource, but here are a few examples to get started: Wild Salmon Choices Wild Alaskan salmon are harvested from the open ocean, transported for processing to small Alaskan coastal fishing communities, and exported to consumers worldwide. Since these long-established villages and towns rely on salmon for their livelihood, they are incentivized to support long-term, sustainable fisheries management. River Select Salmon in B.C. represents salmon fisheries that are truly artisanal and focused on place-based branding. According to their website, they “draw from countless generations of First Nations experience to selectively harvest the best wild salmon from the pristine rivers of British Columbia.” Farmed Salmon Choices Seafood Watch gave Maine Atlantic farmed salmon a “good alternative” rating in 2016, making it the first North American farmed salmon to receive that rating (British Columbia has since qualified at the same level). New Zealand chinook salmon farmed in marine net pens is a Seafood Watch “best choice”. In order to mimic the species’ life cycle in the wild (going from fresh water to salt), rearing starts in spring-fed hatcheries and in less than a year, smolts are transferred to the Marlborough Sound waters where they are raised at a 98% water space to 2% salmon ratio until harvest. Evidence shows minimal environmental impacts, including no disease or parasite outbreaks and low risk of impacts from escapes. The Nordic Blu brand of Atlantic salmon produced in the Skjerstad Fjord in Norway is a “best choice.” With strong tidal currents carrying saltwater back and forth from the sea and substantial freshwater flowing in from nearby rivers and valleys, most environmental impacts are minimized. Furthermore, lower salinity levels render the fjord inhospitable to parasites, minimizing the need for chemicals and antibiotics. While the salmon industry continues to face its share of challenges, some producers have made progress in the right direction. It’s important to shift our perspective on salmon from a daily food staple to a premium product to ensure its longevity. That way, salmon can continue to provide value to diners both as a healthy dinner item and one that can help support jobs in the seafood industry.

As the world’s population continues to grow, ensuring that sustainable food production systems are in place will be increasingly critical. Our planet is 70 percent ocean, which means sourcing food from marine environments is unavoidable. Couple that with current reports of global fisheries reaching production capacity, and it’s no surprise that experts expect farmed species to make up the majority of seafood in our future diets. After all, 50 percent of the seafood currently imported into the United States comes from a farm. Aquaculture, or the farming of fish and shellfish in marine or freshwater environments, has been a key method of global food production for thousands of years. It is one of the most efficient forms of food production and outperforms land animal proteins, as shown in the graphic below. But for many in the United States, aquaculture is a dirty word. Part of the reason aquaculture has such a negative reputation is that it is perceived in the West as being a relatively new industry. While aquaculture has existed for thousands of years globally, salmon farms, for example, have only been used in Canada and Europe for the last 40 years. In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, the industry started to mature and grow in scale and intensity. Reports arose around scientifically documented impacts like the mixing and breeding of escaped farmed salmon with wild populations, and the harming of juvenile salmon by sea lice from salmon farms. Around roughly the same time, the “pink gold rush” of shrimp farming took off in Asia and was found to be spreading chemicals to the environment, disrupting local communities, and destroying mangroves forests. Furthermore, some of the first sustainable seafood organizations were developing their rating programs during this period and ended up focusing on the negative effects of salmon and shrimp farming. All of this resulted in the sustainable seafood movement having a less-than-favorable view of aquaculture in its early days. With rising global protein demands, low-impact, cost-effective solutions are critical to helping move more sustainable proteins into our diet. However, there is a balance that needs to be found in the discussion about the future of aquaculture. Many proponents oversell aquaculture, suggesting that farmed salmon could feed the planet. Despite the extensive history of aquaculture throughout the world, including in places like China where freshwater fish farms have existed for thousands of years, salmon farming is not a magic bullet. Although salmon farming is more efficient than land-based agriculture (i.e. poultry, pork, and beef), it still requires an average of 2 kg of wild-caught fish to produce 1 kg of farmed salmon and it cannot be grown at the equator where the need for sustainable protein is the highest. The efforts going into improving feed formulas and reducing other impacts of salmon farming, however, are transferable to many other species of fish that are more efficient and can be grown in warmer climates. Aquaculture’s bad rap persists amongst consumers, including influential members of the culinary world. In the United States, aquaculture development is well below global averages. The U.S. has one of the largest exclusive economic zones on the planet yet remains relatively devoid of aquaculture compared to other countries. So, the question is, how can we do better? To start, we need to know what good aquaculture looks like and how it can benefit the American consumer. Fortunately, there are already some great examples of aquaculture in the U.S. right now: Rainbow trout raised in raceway systems along the Snake River in Idaho has been consistently rated as a “best choice” by Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, and has been well-received by chefs Hawaiian kanpachi is a species of yellowtail farmed in open net pens off the coast of Kona, Hawaii. This particular species of yellowtail is not commercially available from the wild because it is affected by a parasite that renders it toxic for consumption, but the farming of this species has found a way around this problem and delivers a high-quality sashimi-grade product The determined pursuit of sustainable caviar has resulted in a popular, “best choice” rated sturgeon farming industry in the U.S. These fish are bred in hatcheries and raised in land-based systems, which eliminates the risk of most environmental impacts. There is a terrific oyster aquaculture industry in the U.S. that has quickly gained prominence. In fact, approximately 40 percent of total U.S. aquaculture is represented by “best choice” shellfish species (including eastern oysters, Pacific oysters, blue mussels and hard clams). It is time to move on from the question of whether aquaculture should play a role in sustainable food production in the U.S. and focus instead on how we can truly develop an industry to be an example for the rest of the world. More than 80 percent of the seafood we already consume in the U.S. is imported, and at least 50 percent of that is produced by aquaculture. We cannot allow the “not in my backyard” approach to thrive here while others around the planet bear the burden of our food production. There is a tremendous economic opportunity in this arena, but if the industry continues to insist that there are no issues, the criticisms of aquaculture will endure. We need to be honest and ensure that the debate moves forward in a collaborative way, bringing all stakeholders to the table to work together to achieve a sustainable American aquaculture industry.

How Monterey Bay Seafood Watch powers our sustainable seafood recommendations Perched seaside along the central coast of California is the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA), considered one of the best aquariums in the world. MBA seeks to “inspire conservation of the oceans” by connecting visitors with the marvels of Monterey Bay’s wildlife. MBA created the Seafood Watch program to inform the purchasing decisions of consumers, chefs, and businesses. The program, which plays an important role in the North American marketplace, researches and evaluates the sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture operations worldwide (locally, regionally, or on a country basis) using standards that have been developed with global experts. Since the program’s inception 20 years ago, it has made over 1,200 recommendations on 350 species and is considered America’s leading sustainable seafood consumer information guide. Setting the Bar for Sustainability The Seafood Watch science team creates assessment reports based on the species, country of origin, and the fishing gear type and/or farming method. The team gathers the latest scientific information on conservation issues associated with the producer in question, as well as data provided by producers themselves (if available), and then consults with experts to determine the scoring of each of the criteria they evaluate. For fisheries, there are 4 major criteria (Figure 1) and for aquaculture there are 10 (Figure 2). The final ratings, a function of the final numeric score and a set of decision rules outlined in Seafood Watch standards, are complex, and at times contentious. The process can take over a year from start to finish, but it’s one of the reasons these ratings are seen as credible. The ratings are broken down into three categories: green (“best choice”), yellow (“good alternative”), and red (“avoid”): Best Choice (green): Wild-caught and farm-raised seafood on the “best choice” list are ecologically sustainable, well managed, and caught or farmed in ways that cause little or no harm to habitats or other wildlife. It is recommended to buy best choice seafood first. Good Alternative (yellow): Seafood rated “good alternative” denotes that it cannot be considered fully sustainable at this time, and while still recommended for purchase, consumers should be aware that there are some concerns with how the seafood is caught or farmed. Either one conservation concern needs substantial improvement, or there is significant uncertainty and low-to-moderate risk associated with the impacts of these fishery or aquaculture operations. Avoid (red): Seafood on the “avoid” list is not recommended for purchase, as it is caught and farmed using harmful practices. It is considered unsustainable due to either a critical conservation concern, multiple areas where improvement is needed, or significant uncertainty and high risk associated with the impacts of these fishery or aquaculture operations. The Seafood Watch ratings hold substantial market power and a rating upgrade from a red “avoid” to a yellow “good alternative” or a green “best choice” can help drive change by influencing purchasing decisions and creating greater economic opportunities for producers. Recent Seafood Watch Rating Changes It is important to recognize how dynamic the seafood industry is, given how closely it interacts with the wild environment. Seafood Watch ratings represent the latest in conservation science, with program reports revised every 3 years and standards every 5 years. The Seafood Watch program's origins were mainly due to concerns about tuna and swordfish fishing, as well as salmon and shrimp aquaculture, and in the early days of the program, those species were almost always rated red. Today, the industry has improved, and the Seafood Watch standards can now recognize the producers that are truly doing it better. Today there are green options in all categories, and more yellow options than ever before. Farmed Atlantic salmon, for example, has traditionally always been red due to issues associated with using wild fish as feed, disease transfer to young salmon, use of chemicals, escapes, pollution impacts, and more. However, industry progress on these issues means that there are now more yellow- and green-rated farmed salmon recommendations than red. The first “green” farmed salmon came from a New Zealand system that farms Chinook salmon with minimal impacts, and more recently, there was a green rating for one salmon farm in Norway that was based on an individual assessment of that operation, despite the country assessment being red. These results indicate that good performance is out there, and Seafood Watch is uniquely positioned to recognize it. Unfortunately, fisheries and aquaculture operations do not always climb up the sustainability ladder, as evidenced by some green-rated species ending up rated red after updates. This can happen for a number of reasons, including changes in the environment, management regimes proving ineffective, or even shifts in the population status of bycatch species. For example, the Florida stone crab fishery, where crabs are harvested only for their claws, experienced a rating change from “best choice” (green) to “avoid” (red) due to concerns about overfishing and mortality associated with declawing. The Caribbean spiny lobster also saw a declining rating, despite the fact that the Brazilian fishery has regulations that mandate a minimum legal size and restrict fishing to six months out of the year. However, the fishery became heavily overfished—including having high rates of “illegal,” “unregulated,” and “unreported” (IUU) fishing—which puts the species at significant risk and ultimately resulted in the lowered rating. This highlights a key challenge created by this rating system: “green” products can carry greater value, and thus could end up with higher consumption pressure. It is crucial that fisheries and aquaculture regulations are structured to respond to increased demand. Part of the value of the Seafood Watch program is its ability to capture these changes as it updates assessments. Forging Sustainable Pathways for Producers The Seafood Watch program started its work with consumers and has since expanded to support seafood businesses in their efforts to commitment to sustainable seafood. They have established themselves as the key barometer for sustainability, and one that consumers can trust, given their strong dedication to marine conservation. It’s one of the many reasons the James Beard Foundation is proud to use their recommendations as part of our Smart Catch program.

Takeaways from 20 months of advising chefs on better options for their menus As sustainability advisors, a large part of our work involves ensuring that each James Beard House menu meets the sustainable seafood requirements laid out in our Smart Catch program. That way, diners know that all seafood served at the Beard House is not only delicious, but also a better choice for the planet. Starting in 2018, every seafood menu item was reviewed with the goal of eliminating red items (a.k.a. those rated “avoid” by Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch). By early 2019, the Beard House attained Smart Catch leader status. With over 650 seafood menu items reviewed so far in 2019—84 percent of which are Smart Catch–approved—this is a prime example of a sustainable seafood journey that any restaurant across America can take. Fostering Culinary Knowledge and Diversity Asking the right sourcing questions is the first step to making better seafood purchasing decisions. A reliable seafood supplier should be able to answer your sourcing questions, and the simple act of asking, whether as a diner or chef, can be a powerful driver of sustainable demand. While we often see the top 10 mainstream seafood items on the menus we review, the Beard House also provides a public platform for showcasing innovative seafood products and producers, as shown in the top 20 items served at the Beard House so far this year (illustrated below). Chefs who choose to get creative with underutilized species such as mackerel and redfish, or invasive species like blue catfish or green crab, have a real opportunity to demonstrate leadership and create food trends rooted in sustainability. More often than not, chefs facing a red item can use the same species of seafood, swapping out their initial choice for an option that is caught or farmed in a different way or location. Here are some sustainable success stories we’ve witnessed over the past year: Uni: sea urchin, also known as uni, is a popular delicacy in Japan and is one of the top 10 seafood items served at the Beard House. But it requires a deeper dive into its sourcing to ensure it meets Smart Catch requirements. When Anthony Wells, executive chef for Juniper & Ivy in San Diego, wanted to serve uni at the Beard House, he was able to turn to local purveyors to find a Smart Catch–approved source: “When we source seafood, we rarely look for specific species or sizes, and rely more on pristine quality and whatever happens to be available that day. This helps us to be [dynamic] and a little more creative with our dishes. We have one particular guy who hand-dives for sea urchin daily and a team who traps our spot prawns every few days. We used this seafood sourcing approach when we created our Beard House dinner menu and were really excited to showcase how wonderful the seafood quality is here in San Diego.” Hamachi: another great example of a more sustainable source of seafood involves using farmed Hawaiian Almaco Jack (kanpachi) in favor of Japanese Amberjack (hamachi). Hamachi is rated by Seafood Watch as “avoid,” which meant chef Krista Garcia of the Hotel Wailea in Maui had to be thoughtful when planning her menu for this summer’s Beard House dinner: “I wanted to feature Blue Ocean Mariculture’s Kona kanpachi, which I knew had the green light, and after touring their farm in Kona I was really excited to share what they are doing with aquaculture,” Garcia said. Sardines: European sardines are an example of a wild-caught species for which there are no Smart Catch–approved alternatives. Being a little too popular for their own good, forage fish like European sardines and anchovies are best swapped out for fish with healthier stocks such as herring, capelin, or smelt from an approved fishery. We've advised chefs that if they can’t do without sardines, they should give Marine Stewardship Council–certified Pacific sardines a try. Caviar: caviar is another popular seafood item that has historically been fraught with sustainability challenges given stureon's worldwide overfishing and habitat loss. However, with farming picking up in recent years, much of the caviar on the market comes from green-rated sturgeon farms, taking the pressure off of these fragile, long-lived creatures. With so many sustainable caviar products on the market, there is no need for chefs to shy away from using it. A sure thing is to buy caviar from farmed sources. Advancing Seafood Sustainability Today, the Foundation aims to serve zero red items at the Beard House. It does happen on rare occasions, but through the productive collaboration of chefs, staff, and the Smart Catch advising team, red items to-date have been limited to less than two percent. As a Smart Catch Leader, the Beard House has become, and will continue to be, an important place for advancing innovation in sustainable seafood.