Starting this month, Spanish consumers are now able to buy canned tuna bearing the AENOR Conform Responsibly Fished Tuna certification seal.
The certification, which is also known as APR, its Spanish acronym, guarantees that tuna is fished by vessels certified under UNE 195006, which includes labor and environmental standards, and which comes from a comprehensive fishery improvement program.
The first products certified under the label’s chain of custody standards include Isabel-brand tuna in vegetable oil and Isabel- and Campos-brand light tuna in extra virgin olive oil. Isabel is owned by canning Company Garavilla, while Campos products are made by Sálica. The first distribution of AENOR-certified Isabel products will contain 500,000 tins, according to the company, and both Garavilla and Sálica have plans to apply the new certification to their entire product range, according to Julio Morón, the managing director of the Organization of Associated Producers of Large Freezer Tuna Freezers (OPAGAC), which spearheaded the creation of the certification.
“End consumers can rely on the seal to guarantee that products come from a sustainable, socially responsible source,” Morón said. “The certified tins will gradually be distributed over the entire country and will contain some of Spain’s most popular foods.”
The AENOR certification was supported by the government of Spain, with the country’s secretary-general for fisheries, Alicia Villauriz, in attendance at the official ceremony celebration the completion of the chain of custody standard, on 6 June.
In an interview last year with SeafoodSource, Morón said his organization spent the time and effort to develop the APR because of his group’s mission of ensuring the sustainability of the tropical tuna fishery, and because of his belief that other organizations have not elevated their own standards far enough.
“With this initiative, OPAGAC, which is the first Spanish fleet to join the United Nations Global Compact, is helping reach the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030 by having a direct impact on the goals of decent work, responsible consumption, care for life below water, peace, justice and solid institutions, and partnership for the goals,” Morón said.
