Dutch supermarket chain Albert Heijn is making the switch to ASC-certified farmed salmon this month after a five-year collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) drove the grocer to adopt authorized fillets on one of the broadest scales to date.
Customers who attend any of Albert Heijn’s locations will be treated to salmon selections that have been ascertained from farms that treat both the environment and their employees responsibly. As June unfolds, ASC-certified salmon of both the fresh and frozen variety will line the fish counter and freezer section of all the supermarket chain’s stores.
With salmon accounting for upwards of 45 percent of all fresh fish sales in Albert Heijn stores, the grocer set out to ensure that such a product was responsibly sourced, turning to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) for guidance. An independent international non-profit organization versed in the management and development of certification for responsible fish farming, the ASC only provides fish that comes from farms that monitor and mitigate their impact on water, nature and the environment, while treating their employees well and adhering to the interests of their communities.
The WWF applauds the move to selling responsibly farmed salmon – the fasting growing sector of food production in the world – that Albert Heijn has committed itself to.
“The global population keeps growing and the demand for food – and so also for fish – will continue to increase. Overfishing is already a problem in many of the world’s oceans and wild fish will not meet these needs. Fish farming is a solid alternative and, when done responsibly, puts a relatively low burden on nature and the environment. The World Wildlife Fund is very happy that Albert Heijn, as one of the Netherlands’ biggest fish sellers, accepts its responsibility,” said Elies Arps, Senior Advisor for Markets at WWF.
Over the past few years, the Netherlands supermarket chain has taken a long look at its own brand range, vowing to make “sustainable progress for people, animal welfare and/or the environment in over a thousand products, together with suppliers and certifying bodies.” In the months and years ahead, Albert Heijn will continue to adjust its brand in sustainable ways.
