For the first time shoppers in Brazil can buy ASC certified salmon thanks to a new range of products in Swift supermarkets.
Four ASC labelled salmon products are available to shoppers in Swift’s 125 stores, sourced from Cermaq’s certified farms in Punta Arenas, Chile.
“This is good news for Brazilian shoppers, and a great opportunity to use their purchasing decisions to reward responsible salmon producers,” said Laurent Viguie, ASC Commercial Marketing Manager, Brazil. “Swift and Cermaq have worked hard to give Brazilians the option of ASC certified salmon, and we will continue to work with them to ensure this is the beginning of an upward trend for responsible seafood consumption in Brazil and Latin America.”
“This important step contributes to the strategy of the brand to expand the assortment of certified fish, which already has other species such as Alaskan Pollock, Tilapia and Cod,” said Paulo Christofani, Swift Produce Manager. “Today, certified items represent 45% of our seafood sales. Our short-term goal is to increase this to 65%, and we are always looking for sustainable options for other items.”
“We are very happy to be the first farmers to supply Brazil with this ASC certified salmon. Cermaq and our customers have done a fantastic job to be able to reach retail consumers,” said Felipe Puga, Cermaq Sales & Processing Director. “Sustainability and Responsible Farming is one our founding strategical pillars as a global company. In the long run we aim to certify all our farming sites to the ASC Salmon Standard. Cermaq was one of the first ASC certified salmon farmers in Chile and currently we have nine certified sites, mostly in the region of Magallanes (XII Region) in the far south of the country.”
Swift sources the four products from two suppliers, Noronha Pescados and Damm, who package salmon from ASC certified Cermaq farms in Chile. Chile is the second largest producer of farmed salmon in the world. Over 70 farms in Chile are currently certified to the ASC Salmon Standard, with almost 300 salmon farms certified across the world.
“ASC will continue to work with Swift, Cermaq, and other retailers and producers to help increase the range of options for Latin Americans looking for responsible seafood,” said Laurent Viguie.
About the ASC
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation co-founded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and The Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) in 2010 to manage the certification of responsible fish farming across the globe.
The ASC standards require farm performance to be measured against both environmental and social requirements. Certification is through an independent third party process and reports are uploaded to the public ASC website.
The on-pack ASC logo guarantees to consumers that the fish they purchase has been farmed with minimal impacts on the environment and on society.
For more information about ASC please visit www.asc-aqua.org
