Leonardo DiCaprio investing in sustainable frozen food firm
Leonardo DiCaprio is moving into the frozen meal industry by investing in a sustainable seafood company.
The actor and environmental activist, who is known for helping to fund eco-friendly projects, has thrown his support behind LoveTheWild, a brand which sells farm-raised frozen seafood products.
"Estimates show the earth's population approaching nine billion by 2050, putting tremendous pressure on our natural food resources," Leonardo declares in a statement issued to People.com.
"Seafood is a primary source of protein for nearly a billion people - but climate change, acidification and over fishing are putting increased pressure on our oceans' natural stability."
DiCaprio hopes to raise the profile of LoveTheWild and boost sales by encouraging people to buy sustainably-farmed species of fish, such as trout, catfish, and striped bass, instead of contributing to the depletion of those in the wild.
"The exploitation of our oceans has left many marine ecosystems on the brink of total collapse, which is hurting our ability to harvest our seas as a reliable food source as we have for thousands of years," he continues.
"(LoveTheWild) is empowering people to take action on this crisis in a very meaningful way."
The investment news emerges months after the Oscar winner announced he was stepping up his conservation efforts by pledging another $15.6 million to help organizations committed to saving the environment.
He also traveled to New York in December (16) to meet with then-President elect Donald Trump in a bid to convince him to implement laws which will protect the future of the Earth, instead of destroy it.
At the time, Terry Tamminen, who runs the actor's self-titled Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation (LDF), suggested The Revenant star's meeting with Trump had been productive enough for them to agree to another rendezvous.
However, in January (17), Leonardo was left disappointed in the 45th leader of the U.S. after Trump signed an executive order allowing construction to resume on the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, which had been halted late last year (16) over concerns of water pollution and disruption to sacred Native American land.
Upon learning of Trump's action just days after his inauguration, Leonardo took to Twitter to write: "This week, an oil pipeline spilled approx. 53k gallons of oil in an indigenous community. Why push risky projects when better options exist?"