Where Food Comes From, Inc. Announces Riverence Provisions LLC as First Aquaculture Producer Approved for FishCARE Standard

CASTLE ROCK, Colo., July 20, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 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 aquaculture 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 the 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 and follow Riverence on social, .

ABOUT POSTELSIA

Postelsia believes that improvements in seafood and aquaculture 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, 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 are 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 .

MEDIA CONTACT

Corey Peet

Vice President & Co-Founder

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COMPANY CONTACTS

Jennifer Moore

Marketing Manager, 

Where Food Comes From, Inc.    

303-895-3002

 

Jay Pfeiffer

Director, Investor Relations

303-880-9000