Rainbow trout supplier Piscifactoria Del Alba recently became the first aquaculture operation in Spain to gain Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification.
“Currently, the European market is demanding companies to be more socially and environmentally responsible,” said Fidel Cabero Díaz, quality and food safety manager of Piscifactoria del Alba S.A. “Our company has been working for years to be respectful with our environment and for this reason we decided to pursue the ASC certification. We are sure this will enable us to expand our market towards those people who, like us, care about the environment and the people around us.”
The 50-year-old trout farming company exports to multiple European markets including Belgium, Denmark, and Germany, and supplies trout to Colruyt grocery store chain in Spain.
"A sustainable fish assortment is a priority to Colruyt Group,” said Michel Jenquin, fish buyer for the group. “Most of our aquaculture fish is ASC-certified. By supporting the first Spanish producer of ASC[-certified] trout, we will be able to offer the first ASC-certified frozen trout in our different store formats from now on. It allows us to meet the increasing demand of our customers for more sustainable products.”
Acoura Marine Limited’s audit found Piscifactoria Del Alba to be in compliance with the ASC Freshwater Trout Standard at each of its three rainbow trout farm sites: Alba I, Alba II, and Alba III.
There are 39 ASC-certified trout farms, and another 15 are under assessment. In total, there are 449 ASC-certified farms in 38 countries around the world.
