Hy-Vee announced on Tuesday that it was the first Midwest retailer to complete a transition to 100 percent responsibly sourced fresh and frozen seafood in all of its stores.

Hy-Vee is now in compliance with is Seafood Procurement Policy, which covers all 245 of its locations. The company announced in December 2015 that 100 percent of its private label seafood was responsibly sourced.

The policy was created with guidance from FishWise, a nonprofit sustainable seafood consultancy that began a partnership with Hy-Vee in 2011. The policy defines responsible seafood as coming form sources that are rated Green or Yellow by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program.

"At Hy-Vee, we take pride in our dedication to high-quality, environmentally and socially responsible seafood, and we are thrilled to be the first Midwest retailer to make this kind of commitment," says Brett Bremser, executive vice president of perishables for Hy-Vee. "This achievement fulfills our promise to our customers to do the right thing, and we will keep working hard with our suppliers and partners to maintain this level of excellence moving forward."