Sourcing with Purpose

with Phoebe Dowling

Phoebe is the Director of Global Food Sustainability at Simplot. Phoebe oversees Simplot’s global sustainability strategies, focusing on responsible sourcing, reducing food waste, improving efficiency, and supporting profitability aligned with sustainability goals. Phoebe began her career at Simplot 24 years ago in their seafood processing facility in NSW, and today oversees the design and implementation of their responsible seafood sourcing policy.

Simplot

At Simplot, our mission is simple: to sustainably bring Earth’s resources to life and nourish families with quality, sustainable food. You’ll find our much-loved and trusted brands in kitchens across Australia – from pantry staples including Leggo’s pasta sauces and Edgell tinned corn and beetroot, to John West tuna and salmon for healthy meals, and Birds Eye seafood, chips, and vegetables in your freezer.

Behind the scenes, we operate five manufacturing facilities across Australia, supporting local farmers and ensuring every product meets the highest standards of quality and care. And here’s something you might not know: John West is the only tuna brand in Australia sourcing MSC-certified Yellowfin Tuna – a commitment to protecting our oceans for future generations.

What values do you think define Simplot as a company, and how do they influence the way you approach responsible seafood?

At Simplot, our mission to bring earth’s resources to life starts with a deep respect for nature. We are guided by integrity, innovation, and a strong sense of responsibility toward the people and ecosystems that sustain our business. In seafood, this means sourcing in a way that protects ocean biodiversity while supporting the communities whose livelihoods rely on these resources. Responsible seafood is not an isolated goal for us. It is part of a broader vision to help feed a growing world in a way that is ethical, traceable, and focused on the future.

How does your Responsible Seafood Sourcing Program support certified seafood and help create positive change in supply chains where demand is still growing?

Our Responsible Seafood Sourcing Program framework ensures every decision we make is guided by credible standards. We prioritize sourcing from fisheries and farms certified by GSSI-recognized schemes such as the MSC and ASC. When certification is not yet an option, we conduct independent risk assessments and work with suppliers to develop improvement plans that move them closer to meeting recognized benchmarks. This dual approach allows us to support both certified suppliers and those on a journey toward sustainability, helping to lift the overall standard of seafood sourcing globally.

How do partnerships, like the one with GSSI, help address the most pressing challenges in the seafood sector?

Collaboration across the seafood industry is essential to tackling the complex environmental, social, and economic challenges that no single organization can solve alone. We work closely with NGOs, certification bodies, scientific experts, and industry peers to share data, align expectations, and promote continuous improvement. Partnerships like these create the transparency and trust needed to make meaningful progress. GSSI is a key part of that ecosystem, providing a common language for recognizing credible certification programs and ensuring accountability throughout the supply chain. By working together across sectors and geographies, we can accelerate the transition toward a truly responsible and resilient seafood industry.

What recent innovations or changes in your seafood supply chain are having the biggest positive impact on sustainability?

Traceability and data transparency are transforming how we manage sustainability. Through our collaboration with Pacifical and the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST), we are enhancing our ability to track products from catch to consumer. This visibility allows us to make better sourcing decisions and gives our customers confidence in where their seafood comes from. We are also exploring new digital tools to streamline data sharing and verification, helping us continuously improve the way we source, monitor, and communicate about our seafood.

What steps does Simplot take to make sure its brands consistently source seafood responsibly?

All our brands operate under the same sustainability principles. For example, John West and Birds Eye in Australia have made strong commitments to responsible sourcing, with 100 percent of their tuna and salmon now traceable and certified to credible standards such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for wild-caught seafood and the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) for farmed species. We also partner with MRAG Asia Pacific to [RH1] strengthen our sourcing policies and ensure they align with the latest science and global best practices. By setting a consistent standard across brands, we make sure that every product reflects our commitment to quality, transparency, and ocean health.

What opportunities or emerging trends are you most excited about for the future of sustainable seafood?

The future of sustainable seafood depends on collaboration and innovation. We’re seeing firsthand how digital traceability, better data integration, and stronger partnerships between certification programs, industry, and governments are making real progress toward shared goals. Consumer awareness and demand for responsibly sourced seafood are also driving greater accountability across the supply chain. For us, the opportunity is to keep learning, improving, and ensuring that sustainability stays at the heart of everything we do, from the way we source seafood to how we deliver it to our customers.

Finally, as a closer, what is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

A wise colleague of mine once said, “Don’t tell them, show them”, and that really resonated with me. It’s advice that applies to every stage of a career – prove your capability through action, not words. It also reflects how we approach responsible seafood sourcing. We believe in walking the talk and turning commitments into real change that people can see. And that is what we strive to do.