As far as consumer-facing eco-label schemes go, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) may be the new kid on the block but ASC-approved products have already achieved a global retail value of USD 88 million (EUR 66.6 million). By the end of May, there were 416 ASC-certified products available in retail and the number was swelling at a rate of 37 per month. Chris Ninnes, CEO of the ASC, predicts the tally to top 1,000 products by year’s end.
As of late June, ASC-certified products were available in 21 countries with Australia and Ireland set to get their first products — pangasius in both instances — by the end of the summer.
The eco-label’s initial retail breakthrough was a year ago with the launch of ASC-certified tilapia in the Netherlands. This was followed in February with the arrival of the first certified pangasius in Germany.
In May, Sainsbury’s became the first U.K. retailer to sell a product bearing the ASC label by unveiling river cobbler, or Vietnamese pangasius. Sainsbury’s regards the launch as a key step toward its commitment for all the fish it sells to be independently certified as sustainable by 2020.
Click here to read the full story that ran in the August issue of SeaFood Business >
