Chicken of the Sea Celebrates World Food Day by Announcing Donation of More than 2.5 Million Servings of Protein Rich Seafood Throughout 2020

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- This World Food Day, Chicken of the Sea North America and parent company, Thai Union Group PCL., are urging food companies worldwide to continue working together to build more sustainable food chains as part of broader efforts to tackle world hunger.

Globally, Thai Union has increased its own support for communities where it operates during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist both them and the healthcare workers tackling the virus, said Thiraphong Chansiri, Thai Union President and CEO. In the United States, Chicken of the Sea, has executed ongoing national and local food donations, culminating in millions of servings of protein donated since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

With Americans' need for food assistance exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chicken of the Sea has doubled-down on its commitment to fight food insecurity, donating more than 2.5 million servings of canned and frozen tuna, salmon and other protein-packed products to hunger relief organizations helping within the local communities where the company operates. This is accomplished through partnerships with organizations like Feeding America and Convoy of Hope, both of which serve people in need across the country to deliver crucial nourishment to families, children and the elderly.

"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."

The focused efforts to establish a sustainable supply chain and bring safe and nutritious food to disaster affected communities are in support of Thai Union's SeaChange® program, the global sustainability strategy the company introduced in 2016.

Under SeaChange®, 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 worked to provide donations to those affected by COVID-19. These include:

• Chicken of the Sea donating more than 2.5 million servings of protein throughout North America
• 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 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
• 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, as well as 350 cases of mixed product to the Birkenhead food bank and a range of products to Age UK
• King Oscar gave 25,000 cans of seafood to Matsentralen, a network of food banks that distributes food items to those who need it most
• 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."

For additional information on World Food Day, please visit: http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/en/, and to learn more about SeaChange®, please go to: https://seachangesustainability.org/.

About Chicken of the Sea International
Founded in 1914, Chicken of the Sea International (COSI) is a leading provider of healthy, delicious and responsibly sourced seafood, offering not only a robust product line but the recipes and meal-planning insights needed to inspire seafood lovers to greater culinary creativity. The company provides tuna, salmon, clams, crab, oysters, shrimp, mackerel, kipper snacks and sardines in cans, cups and pouches as well as innovative new products consistent with seafood's growing status as a healthy "new" protein choice in America.

Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., COS uses responsible fishing practices to source its seafood products from around the world, and packages them at a state-of-the-art processing facility in Lyons, Georgia, as well as at third-party facilities. The company is led by a team of industry veterans with more than 300 years of collective experience in the packaged seafood industry.

For information on Chicken of the Sea, including recipes, serving suggestions and nutritional and meal-planning insights as well as information on the latest new Chicken of the Sea products, go to www.chickenofthesea.com.

Follow the Mermaid on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ChickenoftheSea on Twitter at https://twitter.com/COSMermaid and on Instagram at http://instagram.com/ChickenOfTheSeaOfficial.

About Feeding America
Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 40 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. For more information, please visit www.feedingamerica.org.

About Convoy of Hope
Convoy of Hope is a faith-­based organization with a driving passion to feed the world. With a long history as an early responder in times of natural disasters, Convoy of Hope has been a Four-Star Charity as recognized by Charity Navigator for 17 consecutive years. Convoy of Hope has served more than 130 million people since it was founded in 1994. For more information, please visit convoyofhope.org.

Contact
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SOURCE Chicken of the Sea®