Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.A.-based SouthFresh Aquaculture has achieved the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s three-star Best Aquaculture Practices certifications for its catfish feed mill and processing plant.
SouthFresh, a producer of fresh and frozen catfish products for retail and foodservice, has distribution into more than 150 U.S. cities. In a press release, the company said its major customer, the grocery chain Meijer, had encouraged the company to pursue the certification.
“Three-star BAP status has been a goal of ours and also our retail customers. We make every effort to go the extra mile for our customers. When something is important to them, we listen and act. Our long-term retail customer, Meijer, was both instrumental and supportive in our attaining three-star BAP status,” SouthFresh Vice President of Business Christine Costley said. “It is important for us as a company to understand the demands of an evolving market and stay on top of innovative developments in our industry.”
SouthFresh’s feed mill, located in Demopolis, Alabama, is the first feed mill in the U.S. Southeast and second in the United States to attain (BAP certification, according to the company. Its processing plant in Eutaw, Alabama, and its growing facility – Elysian Farms in Demopolis, Alabama – already had achieved BAP certification. Costley said SouthFresh is one of just a handful of catfish producers in the U.S. that owns its own feed mill.
“Manufacturing a sustainably produced nutritious catfish feed directly affects our end product and is essential in our overall sustainability plan,” she said. “Controlling the diet of our catfish is a high priority, and SouthFresh’s proprietary enhanced feed blend has proven to show improvement in the health of the fish and feed efficiency.”
SouthFresh produces a full line of catfish products including whole fish, fillets, strips, nuggets, as well as value-added and custom products, while in addition to catfish feed, its feed mill produces horse, cattle, swine, deer, game fish, and turtle feed. Its feed is distributed throughout the U.S. and exported abroad, the company said.
