:John West Foods

The original company was founded by T. L. Pelling and C. H. Stanley, who created Pelling Stanley and Company in 1857 In Liverpool.{{cite web |url=https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Pelling,_Stanley_and_Co |title=Pelling, Stanley and Co |publisher=Grace's Guide to British Industrial History |access-date=4 March 2018}} The company soon specialized in importing canned food, which at the time was a novel product. By 1879, they were importing canned salmon from the John West company in Oregon, US. Pelling Stanley purchased the rights to use the John West name in 1888. The first shipments of John West Salmon appeared in 1892.{{cite web |year=2007 | url = http://www.ees.ndo.co.uk/John_West/john_west.html| title = The History of the Company| publisher = Bernard O'Brien| access-date = 23 July 2007 | last=Bernard O'Brien }}{{cite web|year=2008|url=http://www.john-west.co.uk/about-john-west/history-of-john-west/|title=John West - About John West - History|publisher=John West|access-date=1 December 2009}}

By 1924, the three companies, operating separately, were all associated with Unilever:

• Angus Watson and Co.
• R B Green and Co.
• Pelling Stanley and Company

By 1964, Unilever had merged the three into one company, John West Foods. Branches were expanded to Australia and Africa in 1974.

In 1997, Heinz acquired the brand and the majority of the John West Food company operations, excluding those in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa which continued to be part of Unilever.{{cite web |date=30 June 1997 |url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=36956 |title=Heinz expands canned seafood business with acquisition of John West Foods |publisher=PR Newswire |access-date=23 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613192951/http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=36956 |archive-date=2011-06-13 | quote=Pittsburgh, June 30 - H.J. Heinz Company (NYSE: HNZ) today announced that its affiliate, H.J. Heinz Company, Limited of London, has acquired John West Foods Limited, the leading brand of canned tuna and fish in the U.K., from Unilever}} In June 2003, Simplot Australia bought the John West canned fish business in Australia from Unilever Australasia.{{cite web |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/06/20/1055828492225.html |title=Fishing trip for Simplot lands a $140m catch |website=www.theage.com.au |date= 21 June 2003|access-date=2017-09-04}} In March 2006, Heinz sold its European Seafoods business to French-based MW Brands, itself owned by Lehman Brothers banking group, for EUR 425 million.{{cite web| date = 20 March 2006| url = http://www.themanufacturer.com/uk/content/6434/Heinz_rejects_John_West| title = Heinz rejects John West| publisher = TheManufacturer.com| access-date = 23 July 2007| last = TheManufacturer.com| quote = ...Food manufacturer HJ Heinz will have one variety less to offer following today’s announcement that it has completed the sale of its European seafood business| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070928003352/http://www.themanufacturer.com/uk/content/6434/Heinz_rejects_John_West| archive-date = 28 September 2007| df = dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.fis.com/fis/companies/details.asp?l=e&filterby=companies&company=mwbrands&page=1&company_id=158207&country_id=|title=FIS - Suppliers - Company Details|work=fis.com}}

In 2010, Thailand-based seafood processing company Thai Union Group bought MWBrands, becoming the world's largest canned-tuna producer.{{Cite web|date=28 July 2010|title=Thai Union Frozen To Buy MW Brands for $883 million|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703977004575394321306783894|access-date=16 April 2021|website=The Wall Street Journal}}

File:John_West_canned_fish.JPG

John West states that their salmon, mackerel and sardine products are certified to the Marine Stewardship Council's (MSC) standard for a well-managed and sustainable fishery, and that every can in these ranges carries the Marine Stewardship Council logo.{{cite web|last=John West|title=About John West - Sustainability|url=http://www.john-west.co.uk/about-john-west/sustainability/|publisher= John West|access-date=26 July 2011}}

John West also states that they do not sell endangered or critically endangered species from the International Union Conservation of Nature Red List,{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}} have never sold blue fin tuna, which is the subject of numerous campaigns from Non-Governmental Organizations due to its endangered status from overfishing,{{cite web|last=Sea Shepherd|title=Sea Shepherd announces Mediterranean campaign for the Bluefin tuna|url=http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2010/01/23/sea-shepherd-announces-mediterranean-campaign-for-the-bluefin-tuna-253|publisher=Sea Shepherd|access-date=27 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130212030229/http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2010/01/23/sea-shepherd-announces-mediterranean-campaign-for-the-bluefin-tuna-253|archive-date=12 February 2013|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last= Greenpeace|title=Sea Shepherd announces Mediterranean campaign for the Bluefin Tuna|url=http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/tuna/|publisher=Greenpeace|access-date=27 January 2012}}{{cite web|last=Ocean Sentry|title=Bluefin Tuna|url=http://www.oceansentry.org/lang-en/bluefin-tuna.html|publisher=Ocean Sentry|access-date=27 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215180351/http://www.oceansentry.org/lang-en/bluefin-tuna.html|archive-date=15 February 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} that all seafood products are caught in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}} and are not bought from IUU (Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated) vessels, neither does it buy any fish that has been transshipped at sea, caught by long-line fishing or drift nets, caught by boats from any flag state which is not a member of the relevant Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (RFMO), caught by fishing vessels which do not ban shark finning, or caught by vessels which do not have a European Union sanitary agreement.{{Citation needed|date=September 2013}}

However several of these claims have been disputed by other bodies.

In August 2008, John West was assessed by conservation group Greenpeace as selling the least sustainable tinned tuna in the UK in its Tuna League.{{cite news |title=John West is 'least green tuna supplier' |url=https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/john-west-is-least-green-tuna-supplier/191868.article |work=The Grocer |date=16 August 2008 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Renton |first1=Alex |title=Time to change your tuna? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2008/aug/18/greenpeacejohnwesttunatinne |work=The Guardian |date=18 August 2008 |language=en}} It was also criticised for indiscriminate use of destructive fishing methods leading to the decimation of turtle and shark populations, and Greenpeace noted that John West failed to show sufficient care in selecting healthier fish stocks.{{cite web|last= Greenpeace|title= Tinned Tuna's Hidden Catch|url= http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/files/pdfs/oceans/Tinned_Tuna_Final.pdf|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081010033208/http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/files/pdfs/oceans/Tinned_Tuna_Final.pdf|url-status= dead|archive-date= 10 October 2008|publisher= Greenpeace|access-date= 8 November 2011}}

In 2011, the company committed to source all of its tuna through a combination of pole and line and purse seine FAD-free (fish aggregation devices) sustainable catch methods by the end of 2016. The first step towards this was the launch of pole and line tuna in September 2011.{{cite web|last= FishNewsEU|title= John West launches pole and line range of Tuna products|url= http://fishnewseu.com/latest-news/uk/6290-john-west-launches-pole-and-line-range-of-tuna-products.html|publisher= FishNewsEU|access-date= 27 January 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110726103523/http://www.fishnewseu.com/latest-news/uk/6290-john-west-launches-pole-and-line-range-of-tuna-products.html|archive-date= 26 July 2011|url-status= dead|df= dmy-all}}{{cite news |title=John West launches new pole and line range tuna |url=https://www.talkingretail.com/products-news/chilled/john-west-launches-new-pole-and-line-range-tuna-29-07-2011/ |work=Talking Retail |date=29 July 2011 |language=en}}

By 2016 the company had reneged on this promise, with just 2% of its fish caught using pole-and-line.{{cite news |last1=Swerling |first1=Gabriella |title=Tesco drops John West tuna over use of harmful trawling |url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/markets/article/tesco-drops-john-west-tuna-caught-by-harmful-trawling-h6xlhn3k0 |access-date=1 August 2022 |work=The Times |date=26 July 2016 |language=en}}{{cite news |title=John West accused of breaking tuna pledge |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34452501 |work=BBC News |date=6 October 2015}} The estimated 98% of John West's tuna caught using methods harmful to the environment or to other species such as dolphins, lead the company to last place again in Greenpeace's 2015 tuna sustainability ranking.{{cite web |title=Tuna League Table 2015 |url=https://secure.greenpeace.org.uk/page/-/Tuna%20league%20table%202015.pdf |publisher=Greenpeace |access-date=1 August 2022}}[https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/tuna-doesnt-do-what-it-says-on-the-tin-rt377g8hd9p Tuna doesn’t do what it says on the tin], The Times (London), 14 October 2015 John West stated that "Quite simply, there is no longer enough pole and line tuna available to meet global demand ... we have found it extremely difficult to increase the proportion of John West pole and line tuna that we can provide".[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/john-west-accused-of-breaking-its-pledge-on-line-caught-sustainable-tuna-a6683196.html John West accused of breaking its pledge on line-caught, sustainable tuna], The Independent (London), 15 October 2015 In a rebuttal, Greenpeace pointed out that it was the lack of investment from large fleet-owners and processors like John West that result in this situation, and that John West had felt it achievable in 2011.{{cite web |last1=Densham |first1=Ariana |title=John West's broken promises |url=http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/oceans/john-wests-broken-promises-20151008-0 |website=Greenpeace |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228095034/http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/oceans/john-wests-broken-promises-20151008-0 |archive-date=28 February 2016 |date=12 October 2015}}{{cite news |title=John Worst Tuna |url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/companies/article/john-worst-tuna-h996qgdm5qs |work=The Times |date=6 October 2015 |language=en}}

John West is the only UK and Ireland canned seafood manufacturer to wholly own a fleet of vessels which ensures it has visibility of its entire fishing supply chain.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} In October 2011, following the above controversies, the company advertised that its supply chain would be made fully transparent for its consumers by allowing "100% tracing" by the public of each can of fish to the original boat and location of catch, using a 'Can Tracker' on the company's website.{{cite web|last= GreenWiseBusiness.co.uk|title= John West provides full traceability of fish to public|url= http://www.greenwisebusiness.co.uk/news/john-west-provides-full-traceability-of-fish-to-public-2691.aspx|publisher= GreenWiseBusiness|access-date= 10 October 2011|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://archive.today/20120904050001/http://www.greenwisebusiness.co.uk/news/john-west-provides-full-traceability-of-fish-to-public-2691.aspx|archive-date= 4 September 2012|df= dmy-all}} The application enabled John West consumers to track the exact source of the fish in their can including the ocean and even the boat that made the catch.{{cite web|last=SeaFoodSource.com|title=John West TV ads tout traceable tuna|url=http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=12464|publisher=SeaFoodSource|access-date=11 October 2011|archive-date=13 September 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913060533/http://www.seafoodsource.com/newsarticledetail.aspx?id=12464|url-status=dead}}

However, in October 2015, John West was accused by conservation group Greenpeace of not standing by their word, and of having made a "deeply misleading" and "plainly false" promise to this effect. Greenpeace asked for volunteers to check the traceability codes on John West cans. It was found that although the website showed tuna only being caught in the Seychelles, Ghana and Portugal, in fact a large number of cans were sourced from canneries owned by John West's parent company Thai Union in the Samut Sakhon region of Thailand. This was not disclosed on the website, and tracing was not provided for such cans; the area's fishing industry is also notorious for human rights abuse and forced and bonded labour on fishing ships, and for the use of indiscriminate and harmful fishing methods.{{cite web |last1=McClenaghan |first1=Maeve |title=John West promises transparency but buries links to Thai tuna |url=http://greenpeace.org.uk/blog/oceans/john-west-promises-transparency-buries-links-thai-tuna-20151014-0 |website=Greenpeace |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612141726/http://greenpeace.org.uk/blog/oceans/john-west-promises-transparency-buries-links-thai-tuna-20151014-0 |archive-date=12 June 2016 |date=14 October 2015}}{{cite news |title=John West tuna: Greenpeace challenges tracing claims |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/oct/14/john-west-tuna-greenpeace-challenges-tracing-claims |work=The Guardian |date=14 October 2015 |language=en}}

John West described the omission as "simply a website limitation". The controversy became widely reported in the news, leading to John West changing its website to state that customers wishing to trace a can from Thailand should email the company instead, for further details.[http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/john-west-changes-website-after-10261635 John West changes website after Greenpeace accusations over traceability of Thai tuna], Liverpool Echo, 14 October 2015

In November 2000, John West released a television advertisement depicting a bear fighting a fisherman for a fresh salmon. The video was viewed over 300 million times on YouTube.{{cite news |date= 27 November 2006 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6187554.stm| title = Star Wars Kid is top viral video| work = BBC News | access-date = 23 July 2007}} It was filmed on Invercauld Estate, near Balmoral, on the River Dee in the Scottish Highlands. The video campaign won multiple advertising industry awards.{{cite web |year=2000 | url = http://www.famouspictures.org/john-west-salmon-bear-fight/| title = Famous Picture Magazine - John West Salmon Bear Fight| publisher = Famous Picture Magazine| access-date = 23 May 2013 | last=Lucas, Dean }}{{cite web|url=http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/news/865453/|title=The Top 10 funniest TV ads of all time|work=campaignlive.co.uk}}{{cite web|url=http://www.tellyads.com/ad_of_the_decade.php|title=tellyAds - ITV Ad of the Decade|work=tellyads.com|access-date=16 January 2015|archive-date=6 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206191147/http://www.tellyads.com/ad_of_the_decade.php|url-status=dead}}

• Saupiquet, French canned fish company

{{reflist|2}}

• [http://www.johnwest.co.uk John West Foods - main site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110509135039/http://www.johnwest.co.uk/ |date=9 May 2011 }}
• [http://www.johnwest.com.au/ John West Foods, Australia]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVS1UfCfxlU The "Man vs Bear For Salmon" Video]

Category:Manufacturing companies based in Liverpool

Category:Food brands of the United Kingdom

Category:Lehman Brothers

Category:Canned food

Category:Seafood companies of the United Kingdom

Category:Fish processing companies

Category:Food and drink companies established in 1857

Category:1857 establishments in England

Category:2010 mergers and acquisitions

Category:British subsidiaries of foreign companies