SeafoodSource is closely following the sustainable seafood movement by compiling a regular roundup of sector updates pertaining to eco-certifications.
- Puerto Montt, Chile-based Skretting Chile has achieved Aquaculture Stewardship Council feed certification for two of its mills.
The certification was officially opened in January 2023. Skretting Chile is the first salmon feed mill in the world to obtain the certification. The company was audited by Control Union.
“We are extremely proud to be the first salmon feed company in the world to achieve ASC feed standard certification. This is a highly demanding standard that moves in the right direction toward ensuring a positive impact across our supply chain, but we know that the journey doesn’t end here,” Skretting CEO Therese Log Bergjord said in a release. “We’re already implementing the learnings from Chile to accelerate the certification process across the rest of our operations and, with that, ensure that our customers can keep relying on Skretting to maintain their certifications for fish and shrimp.”
This does not mark the end of ASC's collaboration with Skretting Chile, according to ASC CEO Chris Ninnes.
“As one of the world’s most prominent feed producers, we are delighted that Skretting has earned ASC feed certification for two mills in Chile – the first salmon feed mills to do so. With this achievement, Skretting is taking the lead in driving feed production toward environmental and social responsibility,” Ninnes said. “This is not only a milestone for ASC and Skretting but pivotal for the whole industry to strengthen the credibility of fed seafood farming now and into the future. We look forward to collaborating further with Skretting to scale up and ensure the availability of ASC-compliant feed to ASC-certified farms around the globe.”
- Jalisco, Mexico-based feed producer Vimifos also recently secured ASC feed certification.
Vimifos has achieved the multi-site certification for three of its feed mills in Mexico, ASC said in a release.
“Our feed standard sets a higher benchmark for feed production. We applaud Vimifos ... for their commitment to venturing into new territory with us; they are the trailblazers, and their certification paves the way for the rest of the industry,” Ninnes said.
Vimifos produces shrimp, tilapia, trout, and marine fish feed at its Jalisco-based plants.
"We are pleased to announce that our plants located in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora; El Salto, Jalisco; and Villahermosa, Tabasco, where the feeds for tilapia, shrimp, and marine fish are made, have obtained ASC certification – a significant milestone in our commitment to sustainability," Vimifos wrote in a LinkedIn announcement.
- Amsterdam, Netherlands-based sustainability reporting organization Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) has announced the creation of a new standard for biodiversity.
The GRI biodiversity standard will be available for any organization starting 1 January 2026, the organization said in a release.
“The impacts of biodiversity loss stem well beyond the natural environment, undermining the progress of sustainable development goals and having devastating consequences for people, while it is also a multiplying factor in the climate crisis. Understanding the impacts that organizations have is, therefore, a crucial aspect of implementing global solutions to halt and even reverse the damage and address existential threats,” GRI Standards Board Chair Carol Adams said in a release. “The updated GRI standard sets a new bar for transparency on biodiversity impacts. It will support detailed, location-specific reporting – both within an organization’s operations and throughout its supply chain – ensuring stakeholders can assess how impacts on biodiversity are mitigated and reduced. Identifying and managing an organization’s most significant impacts is critical to understanding dependencies and risks.”
- Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S.A.-based Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) has announced it will continue its campaign promoting its certifications and standards.
The campaign was consumer-targeted and designed bring awareness to its Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification to further drive sales. The campaign was executed through social media by optimizing the hashtag #SeafoodWithStandards and included paid advertisements, influencer posts, and posts from retail and foodservice partners, according to the GSA.
From 1 September 2023 to the end of the year, campaign results showed a reach of 1.8 million people, 720,000 engagements across platforms, and 1.3 million impressions on influencer posts.
“GSA plans to build on this momentum going into 2024 and will be conducting a digital campaign during Lent, as well as other promotions throughout the year. The promotion will feature new recipes now available on BAP’s consumer-facing website,” the GSA said.
Foodservice partners for the campaign included ALDI, Giant Eagle, Green Chef, H-E-B, Iberostar Hotels, Lidl, Meijer, Secret Island, Wakefern Food Corp. – a supermarket cooperative that includes the ShopRite brand – and WinCo Foods.
Photo courtesy of Vimifos/LinkedIn
