Walmart’s new seafood rules could change what’s in your lunch box — here’s what’s coming in 2027

Walmart is tightening seafood sourcing rules, particularly for canned tuna, to reduce illegal and unsustainable fishing and improve information about how fish are caught. The policy is intended to address harms to ocean ecosystems, including accidental catches of other species and abandoned fishing gear.

The standards, introduced in 2023, are due to take effect in 2027 across Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in the US and Canada. Tuna suppliers will need third-party certification or participation in approved fishery improvement programmes, and fishing trips will be tracked to record catches and check legal compliance. Walmart also plans to stop buying from fisheries that transfer catches between vessels at sea; the company says shoppers should see no immediate product or price changes.